1973-04-15 Char-Koosta News

              Many Worried About Reservation Development
Arlee (Char-Koosta): Does land development really mean wealth and happiness? Will land development on the Flathead Reservation make Indians rich and happy: At what point will land developlmeiL affect the lifestyle of people now living on the reservation: These are questions a lot of people are asking as developers take aim at the reservation.
A group known as the Arlee Area Development
Council met in Arlee last Monday night to try to find a way of asserting local control over off-reservation housing developments in the Arlee area. Another group of three recreation clubs was in Helena the same day working to stop a land-full camp-site project on Flathead Lake. The Tribal Council is also taking action in the south-shore landfill pro-
ject and is becoming uneasy about the use of tribal waters in housing developments such as one just below McDonald Lake. Lake County Commissioners have acknowledged the need for planned, controlled development by participating in the Western Regional Planning association. And many
Indians are looking at the bewildering force of change that is coming to the reservation, wondering just where it is going to leave them.
Most of this concern has emerged within the past two months. Residents of the reservation looked around after the snow had melted and
(cont. on page 3)
CHAR KOOSTA
Salish, Kootenai, Pend 'd Orielles Tribes
Volume 2 - Number 24
FULL MOON OF COURTSHIP   (April 15, 1973)
Price  15 cents
Trees Fall In Valley Unit
Dixon (Char-Koostg):   Losing operations on the vast 8I.3 million board foot valley unit are underway following Bureau of Indian Affairs approval of the sale early last week.
Operations on the 36,000 acre tract — which wraps a-round the reservation divide mils from Dixon to Arlee— had been held up since January on a new policy from the Department of the Interior requiring compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEAA). These requirements include an assessment of possible damage federally approved projects might have on the environment. The new Interior Department policy stems from a U.S. Circuit Court decision in Arizona which held that federally approved projects on Indian reservations must comply with the I970 law.
The go-ahead on the 8 year logging project came from Department of Interior Special Assistant on Indian Affairs, Marvin Franklin. Approval of the sale had been delayed in Washington since it was okayed by the Tribal Council January 19. Evans Products Company of Missoula holds the contract on
a $4,921,339. bid.
(cont. on page 6)
Special Meeting Set On Kootenai Demands
Dixon (Che   loosta):  The
Kootenai Indians want an even break in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes or, they say, they will fight for an even split of the reservation.
A list of Kootenai demands was formally presented at the Quarterly Tribal Council meeting last Friday by Elmo Councilman Pat Lefthand. Lefthand, saying that he spoke for the majority of Kootenais in Elmo, Dayton, Big Arm, Hot Springs and Poison, said that unless his people are given equal representation in tribal government, administration and programs, they will take their case to congress and the federal courts.
Lafthand said the Kootenai plan has four basic demands: -—"Equal representation on the tribal council -- five Flat-heads, five Kootenais. —-Striking from the tribal rolls all members with less than one-quarter Kootenai or Flathead blood. —Measuring the blood of non member Indian parents on the quantum of children. The reason for this, Lefthand saysjs to credit all Indian blood to children.
—Distribution of monies to be based on blood quantum.
Lefthand said if these demands are not met, the Kootenai will start action to form their own reservation. Left-hand said the Kootenai will press for an even split of all reservation and tribal resources based on:
—-All assets and resources. —All lands to be equally divided with the Kootenai taking the northerly half of the reservation.
-—All accounts and cash reserves will be split evenly between the two tribes.
Lefthand conceded the sec-cession move might be called liauidation but noted that: "The 90% payout and other proposals now going around will lead to total liquidation or termination anyway and the Kootenai people don i want to be dragged down because
blue eyed Indians would rather have money than a reservation.
Councilman Tom "Bearhead" Swaney, St. Ignatius agreed with Lefthand that Kootenais had been deprived of tribal programs in the past—noting that most jobs go to Flatheads, 75% of tribal credit goes to Flatheads and no Kootenai belongs to any of the Indian stock associations -—and called  for immediate investigations into this situation. Swaney pointed out, however, that a war between the Flat- : heads and the Kootenai "can only be won by white land developers". Swaney called for a "serious and sympathetic" review of Kootenai demands by the Council and the people of the tribes and a special review meeting to be held in Elmo on May 5.
State Indian Education Meet
Helena (Char-Koosta):  Some 500 Montana Indians met in the state's capitol last week and decided to make better use of federal Johnson O'M-alley funds (JOM)
The Indian parents, including some 50 from the Flathead reservation, decided the $900 thousand in JOM funds reaching the state could be put to better use for their school-age
children. The group moved to take a closer look and more of a hand in the use of the funds in local schools.
The reservation JOM Committees — from Elmo, Poison, Hot Springs, Ronan, St. Ignatius, Dixon, Charlo and Arlee— decided to form a central reservation committee. The groups will neet April 24 at Koostahtah Hall in Elmo (cont. on next page)