1972-09-08 Char-Koosta News

              Indian Justice Conference
Kicking Horse Center— Determining new ways of dealing with Indian youths in trouble was the theme of a two day conference on juvenil delinquency held here last Thursday and Friday.
Darryl Gray, Study Director for the Montana United Scholarship Service, (USSI), told some 50 delegates at the Manpower Training Center Gym that the need for a responsive correctional system for Indian youths is among the most critical problems facing at least six of the state's reservations at the present time.. Gray said the Black Wolf decision by the Montana State Supreme Court, which removes the authority of district courts to refer Indians to the State's correctional system, "leaves us with nowhere to send Indian kids that need help." The Flathead reservation is the long exception to the Black Wolf decision. The concurrent jurisdictional agreement between the Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the state give juvenile authority to the state's courts.
Among those attending the seminar were Bureau of Indian Affairs Billings Area Director James Canan, State Indian Justice Planner Gil Baldwin, Lewis and Clark County District Judge Gordon Bennett, University of Montana Law Professor Jack McDermott, John Thomas, head of the State's Correctional program and Tom Clark, a consultant for USSI.
Two proposals to deal with the problem of Indian correctional facilities were discussed at length. A measure proposed by USSI would provide for a joint tribal correctional institute located at one of the central Montana reservations. The institute would be designed to handle Indian youths from all over the state and would be sponsored by all tribes involved. Grey noted that such an in-
(Continued on Page 2)
Tribal Range Hunt-Right In Courts
Thompson Falls—The century-old right of Slaish, Kootenai and Pend'd Orielles Indians to hunt and fish within their native range is again being strained by the State of Montana.
Two Kootenai men, Lasso Stasso and George Lefthand, were arrested Sunday, Aug. 26 for allegedly shooting game out of season. The Fish and Game Department complaint claims
Salish, Kootenai, Pend 'd
the two men killed a deer on White Pine Creek between Thompson Falls and the Idaho state border on Aug. 24.
A $300 bond was posted for Stasso and Lefthand by the (Continued on Page 10)
Orielles Tribes
AR-KOOSTA
Volume 2. Number 9      Moon of the Harvest of Ripe Things — 8    PRICE 10c
Council Shifts On Childrens Shares
Total Split of MP Check Must Go Through Channels
Dixon—More complications and an about-face on children's shares of the $11 and a quarter million Montana Power monies developed at last Friday's Tribal Council meetings.
In a five to four vote, the council reversed its decision to hold shares belonging to children under 18 in Bureau of Indian Affairs Trust. The motion to pay minor's checks to parents was mady by Councilman Fred Witworth, Arlee and passed with the votes of Councilmen John Malatare, Arlee, E. W. Morigeau, Poison, Tom "Bearhead" Swaney, St. Ignatius and Pat Lefthand, Elmo. WhitWorth and Lefthand. had been absent at the August 18 meeting when a four to three vote put the children's money into trust.
Reservation BIA Superintendent Harold Roberson and Billings area Director James Canan both told the council that they would not approve the distribution policy as it now stands. Roberson reiterated his stand on paying parents the children's shares saying it is the
council's and the bureau's responsibility to safeguard the children's money. He said he could not approve any council measure which did not hold back minor's checks in trust accounts and pointed out that the tribe and the bureau could be held accountable for the expenditure of childrens money. He also cited the effect this money could have on eligibility to public assistance and education grants.
Councilman Swaney noted, however, that the Bureau is not reluctant to pay parents quarterly or trust account shares of children's money—just large payments like the land settlement monies and the Montana Power checks. Swaney called this dual policy inconsistent and demanded to know why the bureau only trusts Indian parents with "chicken feed payments."
Canan told the council that he could not possibly approve the 100 percent payout because it did not conform to the 1964 council
(Continued on Page 2)
Tribes Plan To Takeover Education, Employment
Dixon—The door was opened to the tribal takeover of Bureau of Indian Affairs offices of employment and education last Friday at the Tribal Council Meeting.
The action would place the positions of Employment Assistance Officer and Education Specialist directly under tribal administration. Both offices are currently under Flathead Agency BIA control
The measure, offered by Councilman Tom "Bearhead"
Swaney, St. Ignatius, would place the tribe under contract with the BIA to perform these two functions. Swaney added in his motion to negotiate for the contract a sitpulation that the BIA budget for the maintainence of these offices is included. The measure also provides for the return of the offices to the BIA if "the arrangement doesn't seem 1 to be working out".
(Continued on Page 2)