An Osage Nation Maintenance worker changes the locks on the Osage Nation Gift Shop doors Monday. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

By Shannon Shaw
Osage News

The Osage Nation LLC got rid of two Osage businesses Monday. Two businesses some Osages felt were meant to serve the community and just weren’t for profit.

The Osage Nation Gift Shop closed for good and the Palace of the Osage grocery store in Fairfax has been sold to Rick Parker, a Barnsdall grocer.

“I always felt the Palace and the gift shop were more of a service to the people, more like a program,” said Anthony Webb, married to Osage artist Wendy Ponca and who also ran for Osage Congress in June. Webb and Ponca were at the gift shop Monday as the locks were being changed to pick up the consignment items Ponca had in the store. “I didn’t want the gift shop to go to the LLC, I knew the gift shop was in trouble when it went to the LLC.”

Both the Palace and gift shop were acquired by the LLC in 2008 when the LLC was formed.

The gift shop was closed at 1 p.m. Monday, “with no notice” said the shop’s manager, Trini Haddon. Along with being a Pendleton distributor, the store was a place for Osages from all over the country to buy blankets, beads, ribbons and other Osage items to make dance regalia. It also sold books by Osage authors, CDs from Osage singers and artwork by Osage artists, local or out-of-state.

After working all weekend at the Ponca Powwow selling gift shop items at a booth, Haddon said she had taken Monday off because she didn’t get home until 4 a.m. that morning. At 1 p.m. she was given a call to go to the store and there they told her the store would be closing and all three employees were without a job.

Haddon had managed the store for more than three years along with co-workers Jo Brooks, who has worked there for six years, and Marla Woodard, who has worked there for seven.

According to a prepared release, the LLC is looking for a buyer of the gift shop’s inventory.

“From the tribe’s point of view and the community’s point of view we feel like it’s the best move,” said Charles Maker, Osage LLC Board Chairman in a phone interview Tuesday. “It’s strictly a business move and nothing more.”

Ponca, along with other Osage artists in and out of state, sell their wares through the gift shop, something that Ponca cherished and depended on for her business, she said. According to Haddon, more than $35,000 worth of consignment items were in the store.

“This is really going to hurt my artistic endeavors,” Ponca said, who is a former professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. “This is my only source to buy ribbons for my work . . . I’m really disappointed. I was just on the phone asking my relatives where I can get ribbons.”

Ponca said that every year she and her husband know Osages from California who need to buy Osage materials for clothing and they always send them to the gift shop.

“I know that if I was an out-of-state Osage, I’d be upset.”

Dollars and sense

The Osage Limited Liability Company was formed by the nation to allocate capital to acquire or launch profitable businesses which would ultimately build wealth for the tribe, according to a prepared release. If the businesses cannot be made profitable, it’s the LLC’s duty to find buyers more suited to do so. Which was the case with the Palace and gift shop.

According to a Bigheart Times article that ran Sept. 1, Maker said the Palace and gift shop were losing too much money and it was mostly due in part to the way they were being managed. In 2003, the Palace was bought by the 31st Osage Tribal Council for $285,000 and on Monday the LLC sold it to Parker for a reported $600,000.

“It’s absolutely essential that the management of the [LLC] enterprise have a stake in the game because, if they don’t, it’s tougher to treat the business as their own,” said Maker in the release. “These were smaller operations and in order to be successful, the management must be hands-on and have a vested interest [in] their success.”

According to the LLC’s annual report, the Palace lost $91,000 in the last three months of 2009 and the gift shop lost $7,945 in the last six months of 2009. Maker said in the Times article that the LLC had been looking for a buyer for the gift shop without luck. They decided to cut its losses and close it down.

According to Haddon, the gift shop had seen a 76 percent increase in June and a 126 increase in July over last year’s sales. She said the Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center had just bought 42 spools of shirt ribbon, 20 colors of shawl material and she couldn’t remember how much fringe they had bought, all for their classes held at the center.

“I’m just a little drop in the bucket to the LLC, they didn’t come and help, they kept my books and I never saw at the end of the month whether I was in the red or black,” she said. “If somebody bought the merchandise I would sell it.”

Haddon will be working at the gift shop for a couple of days a week for a couple of hours to get rid of all consignment items and handle the layaway purchases for the next two weeks.

Palace to ‘remain the same’

The Palace of the Osage grocery store will be offering the same services as it was before, said new owner Rick Parker. All employees will remain, Osage Drumkeepers who keep accounts at the store during the Grayhorse In-Lon-Schka dances need not worry, he said.

“I hate to see a little store like that struggle – Walmart’s eating everybody up and we went over and identified a few things that weren’t working . . . switched the store’s meat case around and put some new stuff in,” Parker said. “We just started talking about purchasing the store [with the LLC] and that’s how the discussion happened. I tried to help them and they definitely helped me.”

Manager of the Palace for the past four years, Robert Taylor, agreed that the sale was a good move for the store.

“I think [Parker is] going to have more of a ‘hands on’ approach with it and he has done some changing here anyway and as far as the set up of the store it will remain the same,” Taylor said. “It will be a good thing for it and we’re not going to keep dealing with this as a tribal program.”

Parker said a “suggestions list” will be kept at the front of the store and any patron who wishes for the store to receive a new item, or they wish for the store to sell a certain brand, to put it on the suggestions list and they will do their best to get it in the store.

“I’m excited,” Parker said. “I think there are some things we can do differently that are going to benefit the community.”

The Osage Nation Gift Shop front window. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Osage News offices in downtown Pawhuska. Osage News file photo 2010

Click here to download the PDF version of the September edition of the Osage News

Osage News September edition

John Star Bighorse. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Editor’s note
This story was used with permission.

The Bigheart Times

The Pawhuska school board had five applicants to fill the vacancy created by the death of Dr. Mike Priest, and after meeting behind closed doors Aug. 9, the remaining members made their choice: John Star Bighorse.

Bighorse, who works as an inspector the Osage Nation Tax Commission, will serve until Feb. 8 of 2011, when Priest’s term would have expired.

Also applying for the spot were Priest’s mother-in-law, Nila Thomas, oilman Mark Helmer, funeral director Mark Suiter and chiropractor Garen Kirk.

The appointment means that the school board is unusually populated with Osages: Three of its five members are now Osage – Bighorse, Tom Boone and board president Justin Sellers. Also on the board are Lori Loftis and Donnie Smith.

“It seems like it’s our turn,” said Bighorse. “Justin got on there first, then Mr. Boone. It’s not that we’ve been treated different but we’ve been around here forever. And now we happen to have three, and we are all going to work hand in hand and do the best thing for all of the kids.”

Bighorse has a degree in education from Haskell University and is the father of three with a fourth child due next month.

“I was born in Pawnee and lived in Pawhuska my whole life except when we pulled stakes and went to Haskell,” he said. “We graduated and came back home because we always promised my son John we’d go back to Pawhuska.”

He said he wants to teach and coach, but when he graduated from college, it was mid-year and no teaching jobs were available, so he wound up working for the Osage Nation Boys and Girls Club, then transferred to the Tax Commission.

Bighorse currently coaches football with the Bartlesville Bruins White team. He also coaches soccer and baseball and has worked with the 21st Century program in Wynona.

“Just about the only sport I don’t coach is basketball,” he said. “You can tell by looking at me that I don’t play basketball.”

Bighorse said he still yearns to teach math and coach, but has decided to pursue a master’s degree first. While certified to teach in Kansas, he is not yet certified in Oklahoma.

“I wish I’d never stopped my education,” he said. “Now I am anxious to get my master’s.

“I feel very honored and privileged to be considered for the school board and look forward to working with the other members and with the superintendent and helping kids.”

Joan Barrone

Joan Delphine Barrone, longtime resident of Fairfax, passed away Monday, August 30, 2010 at the Stillwater Medical Center. She was 76.

Joan was born March 31, 1934 West of Fairfax, the daughter of Adolphus Graves and Josephine (Henderson) Graves. She was the granddaughter of Simon and Mary Henderson and Frank and Bertha (Long) Graves. She was a 1952 graduate of Fairfax High School. She then attended Vo-Tech and in 1981 completed the nursing program at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa. She was married to Charles Gilbert Barrone on December 22, 1954 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Joan had been employed most recently with the Fairfax Senior Citizens Nutrition Program. She took great pride in her Native American heritage and was a past-president of the Pah-Sue-Lee Club. She was a member of the First Osage Baptist Church. Her enjoyments included reading her Bible and Christian books, traveling, especially to Colorado, all Native American gatherings, cooking and spending time with her family.

She is survived by two daughters, Donna M. Barrone of Fairfax and Brenda Hardin of Oklahoma City; one sister, Judy Tiger of Fairfax; three grandchildren, Charles Taos Barrone, Steven Charles Hardin and Michael James Hardin; several great grandchildren and extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; one son, Charles Anthony Barrone; one infant daughter, Sharon Kay Barrone; one brother, Howard Sonny Graves and two sisters, Anita Whitlatch and Colleen Graves.

A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at the Hunsaker-Wooten Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 2, 2010 at the First Osage Baptist Church in Fairfax. Burial will be in the Fairfax Cemetery under the direction of the Hunsaker-Wooten Funeral Home.

Casket bearers will be Steven Hardin, Michael Hardin, Joseph Goodeagle, Zachary Paul Martinez, Elijah Jim Martinez, Paxton Charles Evans and Charles Taos Barrone.

Mrs. Barrone’s online guestbook may be signed at www.hunsakerwootenfuneralhome.com

Osage Nation employees enjoy the start of Employee Appreciation Day July 14. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

FAIRFAX, Okla. – Osages living on the tribe’s reservation tend to have “poorer health” statuses than their fellow tribal citizens living elsewhere, according to the results of a health survey in which more than 6,000 Osages participated earlier this year.

The survey – titled “Health of the Nation: Reservation at Risk” – questioned 9,850 Osages when applications for the $500 Health Benefit Card were mailed out this past spring. The survey was conducted by Fairfax-based Paradox Consulting LLC which is operated by Dr. Joe L. Conner (Osage) and his wife Dr. Carol Nice Connor.

The questionnaire polled Osages about their health history, demographics and income with 6,602 filled-out surveys returned which is a 67 percent response rate.

According to the survey results released in July, 25.1 percent of Osages living on the reservation rated their general health as fair or poor. That’s 10 percent greater than the 14.5 percent of the U.S. population with citizens rating their health as fair or poor in 2009. In Oklahoma, 19.5 percent of the state’s population also rated their general health as fair or poor last year.

“The local area is significantly at risk, people can get sick,” Joe Connor said of the survey which indicates obesity, smoking (which could lead to respiratory problems) and depression are health dangers associated with many of the survey takers.

Poorer qualities of health can shorten a person’s life span, Carol Connor said adding those who report fair-to-poor health statuses could have “a significant medical event in the next year” such as a heart attack or stroke, for example.

In comparison with other fellow tribal citizens, 14.4 percent of Osages living in Oklahoma (outside the reservation) rated their health as fair to poor and 12.5 percent of out-of-state Osages did too.

The survey also reports that poverty rates for Osages living on the reservation are higher than those not living there with 21.5 percent living in poverty compared with the United States rate of 10.3 percent. “Poverty extracts its effects on the health of populations in many different ways,” the survey reports, listing examples such as “fewer dietary and exercise opportunities that help maintain healthy lifestyles” and “less access to routine preventative health measures.”

“The health status is also reflected in very high rates of obesity and diabetes,” according to the survey which notes the “reservation rates of obesity are higher than any comparable rate in the U.S. Mississippi leads the U.S. with a rate of 32.8 (percent), while the reservation rate is almost 35 percent, a full 5 percent higher than Oklahoma’s.”

The diabetes rate on the reservation is more than double the U.S. rate with 20.7 percent of Osages reporting they have been diagnosed with diabetes and the U.S rate is 8.3 percent. Over 13 percent of Oklahoma Osages not living on the reservation reported being diagnosed with diabetes and the same rate for out-of-state Osages is 9.6 percent.
Joe Connor said officials with Indian Health Service have described the survey as “the largest survey of a single tribe” when it comes to health matters.

“The (2006) Constitution requires the tribe to provide health services and ‘prevention of illnesses and chronic disease, and of services that promote mental and physical well-being,’” Carol Connor said. “That’s part of why we did this (survey). You have to know the health status before you provide services.”

The percentage of Osages living on the reservation who have been diagnosed with heart disease is also double the rate of non-reservation Osages with 11.3 percent reporting a diagnosis and 5.7 percent for Oklahoma (non-reservation) Osages and 5.1 percent for those living out-of-state. The U.S. rate for heart disease is 3.8 percent, the survey states.

When it comes to high blood pressure, 35.4 percent of reservation Osages reported being diagnosed with it. The rates for other Osages were slightly lower with Oklahoma (non-reservation) Osages at 29.9 percent and out-of-state Osages at 25.3 percent.

Also noted in the health survey:

Just over 18 percent of reservation Osages report being treated for depression which is nearly three times the U.S. rate at 6.7 percent.

Thirty-five percent of reservation Osages report they smoked within the last 30 days, which is higher than the U.S. rate of 21 percent. Twenty-six of Oklahoma (non-reservation) Osages reported they smoked in the last 30 days and the rate is 19.3 percent for out-of-state Osages.

When it comes to binge drinking, 14 percent of reservation Osages report drinking five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion in the last 30 days which is one point higher than Oklahomans (in general) at 13 percent. Men on the reservation are more likely to have binged (17 percent) than women (10 percent).

The average age of the survey takers was 44.6 with 45.4 percent being males and 54.5 female. The average number of people living in the household was 2.7.

Out of the total number of survey takers, 17.2 percent of reservation Osages completed the health survey; 32.8 percent (non-reservation Oklahoma Osages); 49.7 percent (out-of-state Osages); and 0.17 percent (Osages living outside the United States).

The average income of a survey taker was $50,878.84 but the poverty rates for reservation Osages is higher than those living off-reservation. Twenty-two percent of reservation Osages live below the poverty line set by the U.S. Census Bureau. “On the reservation, this represents 150 to 250 families living below the official poverty level. Some of these families are living on as little as $11,201 per year.”

More Osage women live in poverty than Osage men in all three areas listed in the survey. On the reservation, 24.8 percent of women live below the poverty line and the rate is 17.7 percent for Osage men on the reservation; for non-reservation Oklahoma Osages, 18.9 percent of Osage women live in poverty and 11.7 is the rate for men; and 14 percent of out-of-state Osage women live in poverty and the rate is 7.5 percent for out-of-state Osage males.

“Poverty is a terrible overriding issue that impacts health,” Carol Connor said. “If you got a job, you’re going to get up and go to work and less likely to smoke or sit on the couch,” she said of people tending to stay active while working. “On the reservation, economic opportunities are limited but if the tribe improves economic conditions there will be better opportunities for better health,” she said.

The average out-of-pocket cost for medical expenses for reservation Osages was $1,374; for non-reservation Oklahoma Osages, $1,468; and $1,843 for out-of-state Osages.

In the last year, just under 36 percent of Osages report having trouble paying for medical bills and of those who answered “yes” to this question, 36.4 percent are still paying on those bills.

Prescription medication and doctor visits top the list of out-of-pocket medical expenses incurred annually by all Osages with medicine costing an average of $500 per year and $300 for doctor visits.

In conclusion, the survey states: “many of the indicators of poor health, if not quickly reversed, cascade into other more serious problems. As an example, recent research shows that those who suffer from depression are more likely to suffer from dementia into their elderhood. Further, those with diabetes are also more likely to develop dementia.”

Newly-elected State Senator David Holt is shown here with his wife Rachel and son George at their home in Oklahoma City. Courtesy Photo

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

The Osage Nation will have one of its own taking the oath of office as an Oklahoma State Senator when the new state legislators are sworn into office in November. And two other Osages are vying for two elected office seats in this year’s General Election on Nov. 2.

David Holt, who is Republican and lives in Oklahoma City, was elected to the State Senate in the July 27 Primary Election. Since there were no Democratic challengers for this soon-to-be vacated seat and Holt won over 50 percent of the vote, he will begin a four-year term after taking oath on Nov. 16 and when the 53rd Oklahoma State Legislature convenes in 2011.

Holt is believed to be the first Osage elected to the state legislature since Assistant Principal Chief Scott BigHorse served a two-year term as state Representative in the 51st state Legislature from 2006-2008.

“I returned the Osage to the legislature,” Holt said of his election win, adding “I’ve always been interested in public service and helping people. I get to represent the people who made me who I am.” The 31-year-old will represent Senate District 30 which covers northwest Oklahoma City where he was raised and now lives with his wife Rachel and their infant son George.

According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, Holt won the July 27 election with 5,125 votes over opponent Matt Jackson who received 2,934 votes which is over 63 percent of the district’s 8,059 votes cast that day.

After taking oath as Senator, Holt will be bringing his experiences in working at the city and federal government levels to the table, which he believes will be an asset considering the Oklahoma state government will be undergoing changes with a new administration after the Nov. 2 election. Current Gov. Brad Henry is term-limited so either Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Jari Askins or Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin will be elected the state’s new governor.

“Turnover (in the state government) is inevitable so we need leaders who will inspire people in a new way,” said Holt who is currently the chief of staff to Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. Holt will leave Cornett’s office when he is sworn in and plans to work part time in the private sector while serving as Senator.

Holt is the son of Stroud Holt and the late Mary Ann Fuller Holt (Osage) who he credits for his interest in politics because she was interested in public service. Mary Ann Fuller Holt, who died when David Holt was a teenager, wanted to work for a state senator but turned down an opportunity when her son was a toddler because she wanted to see him grow up.

Holt attended and graduated from Putnam City Schools and attended George Washington University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science. GWU is also the same institution attended by Mary Ann Fuller Holt, according to David Holt’s biography posted to his campaign Web site.

“When I filed my papers to start my campaign organization,” David wrote in his Web page bio, “I went back to my car and cried – because of what it would mean to (his mother). Because she died young, a part of me wants to live for her, to do the things she was unable to do, to realize her dreams and live her values. I want to make up for the life she lost, and I want to continue my family’s tradition of public service.”

Holt worked for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert during his final semester at GWU. From 2002 to 2004, Holt worked in the White House’s Office of Legislative Affairs as an advocate to the U.S. Congress for the President’s policies during George W. Bush’s first term. In 2004, Holt worked on Bush’s re-election campaign in Oklahoma after moving back with wife Rachel whom he met while attending GWU.

Holt also has a law degree from Oklahoma City University thanks to night courses and believes that educational experience will help him as a senator. “I looked at the options and it made sense for a public service career. I’ve been around laws and it’s great to get an understanding of their foundation.”

Holt, who has been Mayor Cornett’s chief of staff since 2006, said his focuses, as a Senator, include “lowering the tax burden as much as possible,” supporting policies which improve public education and “pro-business reform so jobs can be created from Oklahoma City to Pawhuska.”

His area ties are through his late maternal grandfather Leonard Fuller who grew up in the Pawhuska area and served as an Army colonel during World War II and the Korean War.

“As an American Indian and Osage, I hope to be engaged in conversations to make sure we have great relations between the tribal governments and the state,” Holt said. One project Holt said he would like to see finished is the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum which is being built in Oklahoma City and is in need of building funds.

Holt also served as the Master of Ceremonies during the inauguration of the Osage Nation’s new government in 2006.

Eli Potts wins Democratic nomination for OK House seat, advances to Nov. 2 election

Sand Springs resident Eli Potts won the Democratic nomination for an Oklahoma House seat in the Aug. 24 runoff election and will be on the Nov. 2 election ballot. He will face Republican challenger Jadine Nollan for the District 66 House seat which covers Sand Springs (where he was raised) and west Tulsa.

In unofficial results provided by the state Election Board, Potts won the Aug. 24 runoff election with 601 votes which is 55 percent of the total votes cast that day while his challenger Andrew Williams received 488 votes.

Potts, 21, worked as a legislative aide to incumbent Lucky Lamons, who is not seeking another term, during the last legislative session. While working for Lamons, Potts helped with research, bill filings and met with voters who contacted Lamons’s office.

“I think people were able to see my dedication to serving the district,” Potts said of his runoff election win. If elected, Potts said he will work on “bringing quality jobs to the district” as well as work on supporting education-related legislation.

Potts also credits political work by his mother, Cheryl Potts, in helping fuel his interest in public office. Cheryl Potts served on the now-defunct Osage National Council in the 1990s.

“Politics have been in my blood,” Potts said. “My early memories are when (his mother) served in tribal politics and I remember going into the council house with her.”

Potts holds an associates degree from Tulsa Community College with plans to attend the University of Oklahoma. While at TCC, Potts was active in student government which included serving as student vice president. Potts is a Coca Cola Scholarship recipient for facilitating a Leadership 101 class at TCC and was recently recognized as a “distinguished alumnus at the Best of TCC awards banquet,” according to his campaign Web site.

Potts, who is single, believes his age (21 is the minimum age requirement for state House representatives) is an advantage in holding public office. He is also active with the Oklahoma Youth and Government Legislative Program which is aimed at teaching students about the government process.

“I don’t see my age as a problem,” he said adding new ideas can solve current problems. “Old ideas led us to current problems. We’re going to need people in office who have a new way of thinking.”

In the meantime, Potts says he will focus on the campaign trail leading to the Nov. 2 election. “We’re going to keep knocking on doors and keep listening to the people.”

Potts’s campaign Web site is online at www.elipotts.org.

Jeff Jones seeking District Attorney’s Office for Osage, Pawnee counties

First Assistant District Attorney Jeff Jones (Oklahoma District 10) is making a run for the District Attorney’s office as a Democratic candidate. Oklahoma’s District 10 covers Osage and Pawnee counties.

Jones, of Skiatook, will be on the Nov. 2 ballot and is running against Republican candidate Rex Duncan of Sand Springs.

Duncan is a state Representative who is a lawyer and Oklahoma National Guard officer. He represents District 35 which covers Noble, Osage, Pawnee and Payne counties.

Jones, who has a law degree from the University of Tulsa, worked in the private law practice field before joining the District 10 DA’s office as an assistant district attorney in 2002. He has served as First Assistant District Attorney since 2006.

Newly-elected State Senator David Holt, Osage. Courtesy Photo

Eli Potts, Osage, Democratic candidate for Oklahoma state house. Courtesy Photo

Jeff Jones, candidate for District Attorney of Oklahoma District 10 in the November 2010 election. Photo Courtesy of Jeff Jones

On Sept. 18-19, the Oklahoma All Indian Golf Championship will be held at the Kah-Wah-C Country Club in Fairfax, Okla.

Qualifying rounds will be played Sept. 11-17; qualifying tee times close at 2 p.m. on Sept. 17. Flight finals played Saturday and possibly Sunday, championship plays Sunday.

There will also be a Long Drive and Closest to Pin contest.

Culcutta will begin one hour before Shotgun start. Supper will be at 6 p.m. Saturday for players and staff members.

All participants must have available CDIB, Tribal membership cards and a photo ID. Entry fee is $50 per person. Entry fee does not include green fees or carts.

For more information you may contact George Pease III at (918) 640-1701, Montalu Renfro at (918) 642-5171, or email georgepease@dptank.com.

Check-In and safety orientation will be held at the Cultural Center in Pawhuska at 8 a.m. on Oct. 23. Coffee and donuts will be provided. Upon completion of orientation participants will be transported to the ranch and will walk to the campsite. A light lunch will be provided for participants. On the way to the campsite there will be small exhibits for walkers to learn about the rich history of the Osage people. After the camp has been set a traditional meal will be served for supper. The evening activities will include: Indian Dice, a Hand Game, story telling, and other fun activities. Breakfast will be served in the morning.

After breakfast, participants will break camp and walk from the campsite to the Mullendore family ranch where the Mullendore family is graciously hosting a meal. Travelers will then be transported back to the Cultural Center on Sunday, Oct. 24.

For more information please call the Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center at (918)-287-5538 or visit our web site at www.osagetribe.com/cultural.

The Osage Nation Police Department in Pawhuska. Osage News file photo

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

The Osage Nation Police Department is implementing a sex offender registry and plans to launch a Web site this fall which will provide public information on offenders living, working or visiting the Nation’s lands held in federal trust.

Launching the registry will help the Nation strengthen its monitoring and tracking of area sex offenders (who are Osage and non-Osage) as required by the Adam Walsh Child and Protection Safety Act which became law in 2006. In September 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice awarded the Nation an Adam Walsh Implementation grant to start the project.

“We want to enhance the safety of our Osage people and children,” said ONPD Officer Brian Herbert who is project manager for implementing the registry. The police department is receiving training on using the resources and computer technology needed to maintain the registry, he said adding the department plans to launch the sex offender registry Web site in October or November.

If tribes do not comply with the Adam Walsh Act, they could lose their sovereignty rights and “we want to refrain from that,” Herbert said.

Herbert said ONPD will be focused on tracking offenders who live, work and are visiting the Nation’s trust lands. These trust lands include the three Indian villages, the Nation’s government campus and Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino locations.

When the Web site listing offenders (who have been charged, convicted in court and required to register with law enforcement agencies) is online, it will list the person’s name, age, photo, recent addresses and criminal history (excluding any victim identities), Herbert said. The police department will collect additional information which may not be viewed by the public, but will help the department and other jurisdictions such as employer information, driver license numbers, computer usage data, fingerprints and DNA samples, he said.

The offenders who are listed on the Nation’s registry will each receive a tier rating from one to three based on the crime(s) he or she has been convicted of, Herbert said. A tier of “1” will be for offenders who have committed minor offenses and “3” is reserved for major offenses, many of which require offenders to register their whereabouts with law enforcement agencies for the rest of their lives.

According to the National Congress of American Indians Web site, there is a section within the Adam Walsh Act requiring tribal governments “to affirmatively elect to comply with the mandates of the Act,” which is named for the son of America’s Most Wanted TV show host John Walsh. Adam Walsh was abducted from a shopping mall and murdered in 1981 which inspired his father’s career of apprehending fugitives and advocating for laws protecting children from sexual predators.

In July 2007, the First Osage Nation Congress passed a resolution (ONCR 07-12 sponsored by former Congressman Doug Revard and co-sponsor former Congresswoman Debra Atterberry) which states the Nation intends to comply with the Adam Walsh Act, prompting efforts to launch the offender registry.

Herbert said ONPD will be issuing more information on the Nation’s sex offender registry as it gets closer to launching the Web site.

The Osage Nation Police Department is at 1333 Grandview in Pawhuska and can be reached at (918) 287-5510 or toll-free at (800) 286-1867.

NAJA President Rhonda LeValdo. Courtesy Photo/NAJA

Rhonda LeValdo statement
From the Office of the Native American Journalists Association

It is upsetting that in today’s world a political leader like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg would tell the Governor of New York, David Paterson to resort to violence when dealing with the issue of untaxed cigarettes on Native American tribal land.

In a radio excerpt Mr. Bloomberg talked about those sales and stated on his radio show: “You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun. If there’s ever a great video, it’s you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying, you know, ‘Read my lips - the law of the land is this, and we’re going to enforce the law.’”

Going to archaic methods of pressuring ethnic minority groups is never an option.

I am asking that Mayor Bloomberg issue an apology to all tribal nations for his suggestion of violence against Native Americans.

Letter to Mayor Bloomberg

August 20, 2010

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

The use of the Cowboy and Indian theme when describing how to deal with the tribes in the state of New York demeans all Native American tribes as a people. By enforcing this stereotype you also perpetuate an image of the past that certainly does not pertain to the tribes that reside in your area.

It is apparent you need to open up lines of communication with the tribes to regain some sort of diplomacy. It would also be important to understand what tribal sovereignty is.

Tribes in the area of New York were there before the state was what is known now as New York. It is astonishing that you would take the cavalier attitude of showing them a shotgun to make tribes do what you or your state wants them to do.

Inflicting violence on any ethnic group is not prudent. Even your own faith of being Jewish, would know this course of action is wrong and certainly not humane.

I ask you issue an apology not only to your area tribes but to all tribal nations for suggesting violence against Native Americans.

Sincerely,

Rhonda LeValdo
President, Native American Journalists Association