1972-04-28 Char-Koosta News

              CHAR-KOOSTA The name CHAR-KOOSTA is a combination of the names of the last two traditional chiefs of the Salish and Kootenai tribes. Charlo was the last of the Bit-terroot Flatheads and among the last of his people to move to the Jocko. His disillusion with the white man is poignantly expressed in his message to the people (reprinted on our letters page) when he discovered the whites intended to break the Hellgate Treaty of 1855.
Chief Koostata was the last of the Kootenai traditional leaders. His office was eliminated by the Constitution of 1935 which provides for an elected government.
Recreation Permits On Sale Thurs
Agency—The Recreational Use Permit System will again be in effect this year on most tribal lands.
Fred Houle, Tribal Secretary, said that Tribal Council action April 15 opened all waters of the reservation to non-members with the purchase of a permit. The only lands to remain the exclusive domain of Salish-Kootenai members are the Revais Creek area south of Dixon, the Mill Pocket lands northwest of Niarada and the south fork of the Jocko.
The permits, now being printed in Missoula, are based on the same fee schedule as last year: $1 per person on a daily basis; $5 for an individual seasonal permit; and $10 for an annual family permit. Houle said permits will only be required from persons over 15 and under 65.
Bitterroot Revisited
By Clancy Woodcock The Adult Basic Education Indian Studies class from St. Ignatius made a treck to the Bitter Root Valley as a class project. The trip included a visit to the St. Mary's Mission, Fort (Continued on Page 2)
Published By The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Dixon, Montana 59831
CHAR-KOOSTA
Volume IL Number I
Friday, April 28, 1972
PRICE 10c
Jurisdiction: One Down One To Go
Wheeler and Tribe To Fight
Missoula—Joe Wheeler's untaxed smokeshop has erupted into a full blown conflagration.
The tribal council, involved in the matter because it wants a clearly defined picture of legal jurisdictions, listened Wednesday to Washington attorney Richard Baenen as he outlined possible courses in the case. Baenen said that the State is attempting to expand on the criminal jurisdiction decision made two weeks ago by the State Supreme Court in the illegal drug charge against tribal member Thomas "Satch" McDonald. He said that Missoula County is attmepting to interpret Wheeler's sale of untaxed cigarettes as a criminal
action.
Following the Court's upholding of concurrent Criminal Jurisdiction April 19, Missoula    county    officials
SATCH PLEADS TO REDUCED CHARGE
Missoula—Thomas "Satch" McDonald, a tribal member and one-time aspirant to Mike Mansfield's U. S. Senate seat, moved in on Wheeler's Evaro pleaded guilty Monday to a smokeshop and confiscated tow reduced charge of criminal pickup load of smokes and possession of dangerous drugs in firecrackers. Wheeler was also Missoula District Court, charged with the illegal sale of McDonald, who was originally the untaxed cigarettes. charged with selling drugs after
Baenen and the Tribal Council nis arrest a year ago, will be are attempting to show that sentenced Mav 22. when the council approved the State's Jurisdiction on the Reservation (Resolution 40-a revised), they did not intend it to apply    beyond    the    eight
categories specified in the Agency-A petition to appeal a agreement. The areas outlined judgement over leases to Con-in the concurrent iurisdiction federated Salish and Kootenai (Continued on Page 2)
(Continued on Page 2)
M.P. Stumped On Appeal
Tribal Judgment Checks Due First Of May
By Fred Houle Tribal Secretary The Act of March 17, 1972 (PL 92-253) provides for the disposition of judgement funds recovered by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in accordance with paragraphs seven and ten in the U. S. Court of Claims Docket No. 50233. The judgment funds recovered are:
Three Die In Evaro Hill Car Wreck
Evaro—Three tribal members were killed and two others injured Saturday night in a four car accident on Evaro Hill.
Dead in the pileup are Henry "Curly" Charette, 50, and his four year old son Roger Lynn and Roger D. St. Germaine, 30.
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tribes land, has been denied to the Montana Power Company by the United States Court of Appeals.
The court found February 17 in favor of a decision  by  the Section     one  of   the   ActFederal Power Commission provides that 85 percent of theentitling the Tribe to increase judgement,       or       aboutleases on Tribal and jointly $21,382,797.97, after payment of owned lands   The United State attorney's   fees    shall    be Supreme Court is now awaiting distributed in equal per capita appeal briefs  from  Montana shares to each person enrolled or Power   Tne case involves the entitled to be enrolled at the date company's use of Flathead river of the act. The remainder, about and Flathead Lake lands for $3,773,445.00, may be advance tneir generating unit at Ken-expended,  invested,  or  rein- Dam vested for any purposes that are ¦RTfTFR R OPiT authorized by the Tribal Council DL1 1 £»n"v-'V-'1 and approved by the Secretary FETE PLANED of the Interior. Elmo—A traditional Bitterroot
There is accumulated interest festival will be held Sunday at on the funds amounting to the Koostatah Hall in Elmo. $944,081.03. This makes the total In former times, the tribe used amount to be distributed to to gather during the blooming of tribal members $22,326,878.00. the bitterroot for a Thanksgiving With 5,645 Tribal members, each festival.   The bitterroot plant
share will be $3,955.15
The per capita payroll is being processed at the present time and we hope to mail the checks
was a major food source for the tribe and during the festival, the plants were harvested when the roots could be stripped   The
by the first week in May if the stripped roots were stored and (Continued on Page 2) used as needed during the year.