ThreeHoops.com

By ANNE WALLACE ALLEN Associated Press Writer The Providence Journal Bulletin, RI
INDIAN ISLAND, Maine (AP) - Penobscot artist Barbara Francis learned the art of basketmaking at home in Maine, and she weaves her baskets at home, too, with brown ash harvested in Maine. But when it's time to show and to sell her work, Francis heads out West, where collectors will pay twice as much for American Indian arts and crafts. "I get $75 for a vase here in Maine that I get $150 for in Santa Fe," Francis, 46, said recently in the living room of the little house where she grew up. Indian artists all over the East Coast agree: for historical, cultural, and even political reasons, when buyers and collectors think of Indian art, they think of turquoise and silver from the West, not the traditional beadwork and birchbark basketry made by Indians from the East. Several individuals and groups are working to change that. Some are working to preserve and promote the arts and culture of their people. Others turn outward, believing that if non-Indians learn more about the people who lived in the Northeast before European settlers arrived, the region's native people will be more likely to succeed...
ThreeHoops note: The remainder of this article is worth reading for the insight it gives into the issues Tribal Nations in the northeastern United States face and have faced sinced first contact with nonnatives.

May 29 04
Michigan arts programs share $260,000 to expand audiences
By Joy Hakanson Colby / The Detroit News, MI
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) gave out 366 grants totaling $7 million in the "Challenge America" category, $260,000 of which was awarded to 10 Michigan arts organizations...Ann Arbor-based Artrain's exhibit of American-Indian art, which will travel to 50 communities in 25 states, received $35,000.
ThreeHoops note: Grantmaking indirect (Federal funding to Nonnative nonprofit) benefits direct and indirect for NA people

Nevadans fight back after American Indian sites looted
By MARTIN GRIFFITH, ASSOCIATED PRESS, The Las Vegas Sun, NV
RENO, Nev. (AP) - The mysterious artwork etched in hundreds of volcanic boulders has survived the elements for centuries in a corner of the parched Pah Rah Range just east of Reno...

Groups share $2.1 million in Arts Council awards
By Peter Szatmary, peter.szatmary@indystar.com, IndyStar.com, IN
The Arts Council of Indianapolis will give $2.1 million to 56 organizations for arts outreach, education and marketing in Marion County...
The Eiteljorg Museum, a regular recipient, gets $140,000 to enhance its educational and cultural tourism programs. The money will help artists-in-residence venture into neighborhoods, and the cultural tourism plan entails regional advertising and partnering with hotels. "These are initiatives we would not be able to do without the Arts Council," said Eiteljorg President/CEO John Vanausdall. "It's not easy to raise money for these" from individuals and foundations. The Eiteljorg opened in 1989 and has 4,000-plus objects of American Indian and Western art, 73,000 square feet, a $4.4 million budget and $15 million endowment, and about 100,000 annual visitors.
ThreeHoops note: Grantmaking indirect (Nonnative Funding to Nonnative nonprofit)

May 28 04
Long-haired American Indian had rights infringed in jail
The Star, Johannesburg, South Africa
Los Angeles - A federal appeals court has ordered the release of an American Indian prison inmate whose sentence was extended because he refused to cut his hair.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Billy Soza Warsoldier, a member of the Cahuilla tribe, whose faith prohibits him from cutting his hair except if someone in his family dies, said Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the Department of Corrections on the inmate's behalf. "We're very gratified by the court's decision," Wizner said on Wednesday. "Delaying Mr Warsoldier's release for even one day as punishment for his adherence to his faith was a gross violation of his rights." ...

Cream of the crop: Students selected for academic program
Native Times, OK
The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) announces the selection of 32 American Indian junior high and high school students for their Student Enrichment Academy for Reaching Careers in Health, or "SEARCH" Program. After a competitive application process, American "Indian students ages 14-17 were selected from the Oklahoma City metropolitan area based on their academic merit and strong interest in pursuing a career in a health field. The Association of American Indian Physicians is proud and honored to continue our summer academy for the second year," says Margaret Knight, AAIP's Executive Director. "Nurturing the mind, body and spirit of our Native youth is vital to ensure a healthy future. A focus on Native adolescent health is also the theme of our 33rd annual meeting, which will be held July 27 - Aug. 1 in Tulsa."...

May 27 04
All-Indian TV channel planned
By Jeff Commings , Tribune Reporter, www.abqtrib.com, NM
Harlan McKosato likens his quest to start an American Indian cable station to the famous first line in "Field of Dreams." "I keep saying: 'If you build it, they will come,' " said McKosato, 38. And come they will, McKosato is certain, to a cable and satellite channel filled 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with nothing but American Indian programming...

Aitken honored at 18th Twin Cities American Indian banquet
The Pilot-Independent, MN
A Walker-Hackensack High School graduate was honored May 7 at the 18th annual Twin Cities American Indian Graduation Banquet.
Joe Aitken, a 1965 graduate of WH School and a 1972 graduate of Bemidji State University, was the honored educator for 2003-04...

May 26 04
Tribes see starting their own telecoms as an issue of sovereignty
DIRK LAMMERS, Associated Press, Grand Forks Herald, SD
RAPID CITY, S.D. - If tribes want decent phone and Internet service on their reservations, they should either start their own telecommunications companies or establish regulatory commissions to oversee them, a panel of American Indian leaders said Wednesday...

May 24 04
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Sky Ute Casino Hosts
The Fifth Annual $20,000 Non-Profit Money Booth
Sky Ute Casino, CO - For more information contact Heather Campbell at (970) 749-3088
Ignacio , CO - Fifteen non-profit and service organizations from La Plata and San Juan Counties each received their share of the $20,000 donated by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in the Fifth Annual Non-Profit Money Booth held on Thursday, May 6, 2004 at Sky Ute Casino. The big winner of the night was the Braided River Peace Project, a Durango based organization that offers victim and offender mediation, restorative group conferencing, and peacemaking/talking circles to all members of the community at no cost. Director, Tami Graham, pulled out a total of $2,135 for the Project. Other selected organizations and the amounts they received are listed below.
$1,661.43 Adult Education Center of Durango, CO
$2,146.43 Braided River Peace Project, CO
$1,196.43 Big Brothers Big Sisters of La Plata County, CO
$500.00     Cadence Center for Therapeutic Riding, CO (Didn't attend)
$1,346.43 Children's Museum of Durango, CO
$2,021.43 Durango Early Learning Center, CO
$1,146.43 Durango Latino Education Coalition, CO
$941.43     Durango Nature Studies, CO
$1,261.43 Excel Charter School, CO
$1,371.43 La Plata County Humane Society, CO
$986.43     Los Companeros, CO
$1,471.43 National Indian Youth Leadership Project, CO
$921.43     Native American Youth Organization, CO
$1,726.43 San Juan Basin Area on Aging, CO
$1,301.43 Volunteers of America - Southwest Safehouse, CO

May 20 04
Announcements/Info from The Finance Project
INTERNET IN INDIAN COUNTRY - Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided a $4.2 million loan to the tribe. The loan is part of a USDA initiative to improve telecommunications in rural areas. It will span 14 years, during which the tribe can build or improve facilities for high-speed service. The authority already has fiberoptic lines throughout the reservation. Contact: Cheyenne River Sioux Telephone Authority (605) 964-2600
Microsoft Corporation's Unlimited Potential (UP) ... The application deadline is open.
SBC Excelerator technology grants program... Applications are due Aug. 13, 2004

May 19 04
Institute of American Indian Arts adds Library Technology Center
By The Associated Press, Caspar Star Tribune, WY
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- The Institute of American Indian Arts has a new Library Technology Center, with 27,000 volumes, eight high-tech classrooms with digital sound and projection systems, wireless-Internet computer stations and a 280-seat lecture auditorium.
The school dedicated the $10 million Library Technology Center Saturday on its 140-acre campus 10 miles south of Santa Fe.
The new 55,750-square-foot concrete-and-glass building was created with "environmentally friendly" features, including a light shelf that runs along the windows and reflects light into the room, low-toxic paint and natural light with tube-skylights -- square lights with lenses that multiply sunlight and automatically adjust electric lights to brighten or fade.
The building also is designed to catch rainwater and reuse gray water, previously used for such things as laundry. "Our people are masters of solar energy," said Paul Fragua, facilities project coordinator for the school. "Sustainability is far more than conserving water and using daylight. We need to be a part of the natural world." ...

May 18 04
Ho-Chunk honor anthropologist Lurie with gift of blanket , WI
Karen Faster, News@UW-Madison, WI
In addition to the honorary degree she received at UW-Madison's commencement ceremony this spring, anthropologist Nancy Oestreich Lurie has been given a blanket designed by Truman Lowe , a professor of art who is on leave from UW-Madison. Lowe is serving as curator of contemporary art for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian . The Ho-Chunk Nation presented the blanket to Lurie, who is anthropology curator emerita of the Milwaukee Public Museum , on May 15 in thanks for her research and lifelong support of the Ho-Chunk and other indigenous nations. The gift of a blanket is a high honor in many American Indian cultures...

May 15 04
Application due for American Indian camp
Statesman Journal, Salem OR
American Indian students are invited to apply to attend an eight-day camp in Southern Oregon. Applications are due by June 1 to attend the Konaway Nika Tillicum residential academy in Ashland July 17-24. The title means "all my relations" ...

Konaway combines cultural and academic experiences to address issues of American Indian identity and historical awareness. The academy is for students in grades five through 10 and is sponsored by Southern Oregon University Native American Programs...

May 14 04
REBUILDING COMMUNITIES: Call for Presentations
Council on Foundations FNCNow Digest May
The Northwest Area Foundation will host a fall conference to showcase community-based, poverty reduction models now at work in diverse communities across the country. Co-sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, "Grassroots & Groundwork: Practical Models for Rebuilding Communities," will be held September 12-14, 2004, at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota.

May 12 04
American Indian College Fund Announces Sysco Scholarship Winners
Denver, CO -- Fifteen American Indian students at seven tribal colleges have been named Sysco Corporation Scholars by the American Indian College Fund. Each student received a $1,000 scholarship for the Spring 2004 term. Sysco Corporation, North America's largest foodservice marketer and distributor, made the scholarship program possible through a $15,000 grant to the American Indian College Fund.
"American Indians have the lowest level of educational attainment of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S," said Richard B. Williams, president and CEO of the Fund. "These deserving students have made a commitment to pursue a college degree and, in return, they have received the support they need to realize their dreams. We are grateful to Sysco Corporation for its help in ensuring that more American Indian students have the opportunity to continue their education." The scholarship recipients, their hometowns, their tribal affiliations and majors are:
Oglala Lakota College - Kyle, S.D.
Tanya Guerrero, Rapid City, S.D., Oglala Lakota, Human Services
Julie Poor Bear, Martin, S.D., Oglala Lakota, Human Services

Salish Kootenai College - Pablo, Mont.
Ronda Adams, Kalispell, Mont., Blackfeet, Nursing
Jacinda Dalke, Ronan, Mont., Blackfeet, Nursing
Annesha Webster-Taylor, Ronan, Mont., Gros Ventre, Nursing

Sinte Gleska University - Rosebud, S.D.
Lesley Short Bull, Rosebud, S.D., Rosebud Sioux, Business
Clifford White Eyes, Mission, S.D., Rosebud Sioux, Data Processing

Sitting Bull College - Fort Yates, N.D.
Yvette Houck, Akaska, S.D., Cheyenne River Sioux, Elementary/Special Education
Carnie Luger, Fort Yates, N.D., Standing Rock Sioux, Human Services

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute - Albuquerque, N.M.
Venessa Sandoval, Crow Agency, Mont., Navajo, Accounting
Dale Sombrero, Albuquerque, N.M., Navajo, Electronic Technology

Turtle Mountain Community College - Belcourt, N.D.
Sheila Beston, Dunseith, N.D., Turtle Mountain Chippewa, Medical Coding
Justin Vallie, Belcourt, N.D., Turtle Mountain Chippewa, Elementary Education

United Tribes Technical College - Bismarck, N.D.
Shannon Harjo, McLaughlin, S.D., Standing Rock Sioux, Office Technology
Warren Horse Looking, Des Moines, Iowa, Rosebud Sioux, Construction Technology

The American Indian College Fund has spent more than a decade increasing educational opportunities for Native students. With its credo "educating the mind and spirit," the Denver-based nonprofit distributes scholarships and support to 34 tribal colleges across the country. The Fund also supports endowments, developmental needs and public awareness, as well as programs in Native cultural preservation and teacher training.

May 10 04

Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian
Washington, D.C. -- North facade of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, opening September 21, 2004... The museum will open at 1 p.m. after the dedication on the National Mall and will remain open all night long through the next day. Passes are required for admission to the museum and additional advance passes for Sept. 21 are now available online at http://www.americanindian.si.edu or by phone at 1-866-400-NMAI (6624). Passes are not required for museum admission from midnight to 7 a.m. on Sept. 22.
"We anticipate that the extended hours will allow as many visitors as possible to see the museum on Sept. 21, especially those who will be making a special trip for the opening," W. Richard West, Jr. (Southern Cheyenne), director of the National Museum of the American Indian, said.
HOW TO OBTAIN PASSES TO THE MUSEUM: ADVANCE PASSES:
Advance Passes are available in limited number and can be ordered two ways:
1) ONLINE: Visit the museum's Web site http://www.americanindian.si.edu or http://www.tickets.com 2) TELEPHONE: 1-866-400-NMAI (6624) Limit of 10 passes per adult, per day; All Advance Passes (ordered online and by telephone) are administered by Tickets.com; While passes are always free, Tickets.com charges a convenience fee of $1.75 per ticket plus a $1.50 service charge per order SAME-DAY PASSES:
Same-day passes are free, timed passes and will be available in limited number on a first-come first-served basis when the museum opens on Sept. 21; Same-day passes can be obtained at the museum's east entrance; Limit of six passes per adult, per day; From Sept. 21 through Sept. 26 (opening week), passes will be distributed beginning at 9 a.m.; Starting on Sept. 27, passes will be distributed beginning at 10 a.m.

May 8 04
For American Indian graduate, college degree is hard-won
Bill Mcauliffe, Star Tribune, MN
Matthew Thornhill has worn a lot of labels in his day. Poor, urban Indian kid. Football player. Community college flunk-out. Hard-drinking, angry young man. Hot prospect for prison. But today, at 29, he's taken on some different tags: father of three, college graduate and master's degree candidate. "For Indian people, there are a lot more opportunities for you to fail than to succeed," said Thornhill, a member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe who grew up in St. Paul...

May 7 04
Brown is WMU's fourth Udall Scholar in five years
WMU News, MI
...Established by Congress in 1992 to honor the late Arizona congressman and his legacy of public service, the Morris K Udall Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records. It is an executive branch agency whose board of trustees is appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Scholarships are granted to those who demonstrate a commitment to fields related to the environment, and to Native American and Alaska Native students in fields related to health care and tribal public policy.

May 6 04
Johnson asks for national West Nile Virus plan
Sen. Tim Johnson, D - S.D., said Wednesday the country needs what he called a "National West Nile Virus Action Plan."... The senator also said he has proposed legislation that will allow American Indian tribes to apply for federal grants under what's called the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act, or MASH Act. The change is a technical one resulting from an oversight, he said.
ThreeHoops note: Many other federal grants don't include Tribal Nations as eligible applicants due to 'technical oversights.' See ThreeHoops' NoFedFundingForTribes page for more examples.

May 4 04
TAPROOT FOUNDATION RECEIVES AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF HIGH CALIBER MARKETING SERVICES TO NONPROFITS
Foundation leverages expertise of volunteer marketing professionals to strengthen nonprofits
San Francisco, CA, May 4, 2004 - The Taproot Foundation announced today it has been awarded the 2004 "Excellence in Nonprofit Marketing Award" by the San Francisco Chapter of the American Marketing Association (SFAMA). The award was given in recognition of the Taproot Foundation leadership in bringing volunteerism into the marketing profession. Past winners of the Excellence in Marketing Award include Google, LeapFrog Toys and Apple Computer. Founded in 2001, the Taproot Foundation operates as an integrated marketing agency for nonprofits using skilled volunteer marketing professionals to deliver naming, branding, collateral and web to nonprofits in the Bay Area and New York. To date, the foundation has worked with over 100 nonprofit agencies in the Bay Area and awarded more than $4 million in services.

Nationally, Foundation funding to Native Americans has remained at approximately 1/20th of 1% of all grants made over $10,000 for the last two decades. Meanwhile, American Indian people have grown to 1.4% of the population.

For more information on Foundation grantmaking to Native American issues check out HOOPower

Over 24% of Native Americans in the United States live in poverty, the highest % in the U.S.

1 Targeted toward Tribal Nations along with Hispanic and/or Historically Black Institutions and other educational institutions

30 Targeted toward states and/or others for which Tribes, or Tribal Colleges, and/or NA Nonprofits may apply

2 Targeted either states, and other units of government including Tribal Nations (federally recognized)

1 Targeted toward Small Businesses
8 Targeted as "Unrestricted"
1 Targeted towared "Others"