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Thursday, August 23, 1973
University Daily Kansan
Pow-Wow Held to Build Potawatomi Unity
Kansan Photo by A.B. SOLSKY
By CATHLEEN SCHEIER
Vivid Tribal Dress, Festivities Overlaid Serious Intent of July Pow-Wow
Kansan Staff Writer
Indians in Kansas, as in other parts of the nation, are donning war paint to prevent what they consider to be the economic theft of their prime possession—reservation lands.
In an effort to build unity of purpose, the Kansas Prairie Band *Pawatotan* gathered for a pow-wow on July in festival at Mayetua, about 20 miles north of Topeka.
Indian art and culture provided the context for the strengthening of tribal unity, which was sought to further the Indians' struggle against efforts to push them off reservations and into the larger culture. In recent years, the Potawatomi tribe has mounted battles in the courts to protect their land.
THE POTAWATOMI moved frequently throughout their history, migrating slowly southward from the Great Lakes area where they lived in the 1700s. In 1848, they were forced to settle on the reservation at Mayetta.
The people are poor. The average annual family income is $2,028 and the unemployment rate is about 50 per cent, according to compiled statistics of the Horton Indian Agency. An estimated 44 per cent of the young people drop out of high school. There is only one Potawatomi student at KU.
A series of treaties concluded in the late 1800s, led to the diminution of the reservation; today it is only one-eighth of its original size of five million acres. Only 359 acres of that remainder tract is commemorated on the grounds. The land is leased out under Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) supervision or is owned outright by non-Indians.
In a speech given at the University of Kansas last fall, Potawatomi Indian chief Lester Jessepe brought to public attention the civil rights problem of the American Indian. The speech, which has been reprinted and circulated to the public was delivered by Jessepe as Pocahontas Indians. "How to Survive When the Government Tries to Steal Everything You Have." In it, Jessepe explained the problems of land leasing.
THE LAND "Held in trust" by the BIA is a standing source of contention between BIA officials and Indian leaders who are opposed with BIA control of leasing policies.
"Almost all of the reservation land owned "individually by Indians is leased through private companies," Jessepe said in his speech. "Our people get far below fair market value for theseLEASEs. And even then, these small amounts do not go directly to the Indian government."
"Instead, the lease money goes to the BIA," Jesse continued. "Our people then beaten up and sold to corporations."
a plan as to how they intend to spend their own money.
"BOTH BEFORE and since we were forced onto our Kansas reservation in 1848, the Bureau of Indian affairs has done nothing for us. Instead they have served as the instrument for the theft of our land on behalf of the railroads and white farmers.
Jack Carson, superintendent of the Horton Indian Agency, has publicly disagreed with Jessephe. He has said that the owner was always free to lease the land himself and that the BIA only had the land appraised.
Carson has said that the BIA has more restrictions on land sales to non-Indians and that the land is appraised and then sold at an advertised auction sale. Carson has acknowledged that land he changed to be in Indian hands that it's been sold to remain in Indian hands.
Norman Forer, assistant professor of social welfare at KU, has acted as an advocate for the rights of African years. Forer says that in his opinion, Carson's statements on land holdings are untrue and evasive. He explains the fact that he essentially one of civil rights for the Indian.
"The LAND IS held in trust by the federal government, which considers the land's use."
Spooner Legacy in 1890s Built KU Museum of Art
Sponner Art Museum was built in the 1890s and has been displaying art since 1928.
David Curry, museum assistant, said that the building began exhibiting art when Sally Thayer left a collection in memory of her husband. Curry said that the museum's main problem in showing art was that the museum had originally built with that purpose in mind.
Spooner was built as the KU library in 1894, $80,000 used for construction was provided from the legacy of more than $9,500 given by William Spooner as a token gift. The library was moved to Francis Snow, one of KU's first faculty members and chancellor from 1890-1901.
In 1924 the first unit of Watson was finished and the library was moved out of Spooner. On May 1, 1928, the Thayer Collection was dedicated and placed in the building, which was called the Spooner-Thaver Museum.
The Thayer collection illustrated the development of design in textiles, ceramics, and glass.
Because Spooner does not have the proper facilities to store certain art pieces, Curry said, much is stored in Spencer Research Library. The museum has not considered exhibiting some of its art in Spencer because problems of carrying the art back and forth between buildings would be too great.
Continuing Ed Gets Funds
The grant will fund a team to work with the other colleges and universities in setting up their own community development and continuing education programs.
The Department of Community Development in the Division of Continuing Education has received a $12,000 federal grant to set up a training program for community service and continuing education.
WHAT SHOPPING CENTER HAS
Curry said that the main floor of Spooner was used to display a permanent art exhibit and that the upstairs and downstairs of the building displayed art and pictures that were here for a limited amount of time. He said that the print gallery in Spooner also displayed temporary exhibits.
"The government infers from this trustee relationship the right to manage the money and affairs of the Indian, who is not protected under the Constitution and Bill of Rights," Forer said. "The government tries to set up tribal rules that will sanction government leasing and transfer of land. The return for the lease is so slight that it the Indian off-reservation and more land is then transferred to white hands.
"From this trust the government draws the idea that they can control tribal programs and government. The government uses this power to transfer land to white corporate landowners."
Plans for fall exhibits have not been set, Curry said that many different exhibitions may be shown at Spooner this fall, but that plans for these were tentative. In November, he said, a World War I poster collection may be shown.
In recent years, the Potawatomi have resisted BIA control of tribal matters several times. Their struggle has not been as publicized as that of the Oglala Sioux at Wounded Knee, but they have achieved some success in their efforts.
In 1970, AN independent group called the Tribal Action Committee was organized to develop and help programs in Indian self-determination. The group's first success is in winning the right to hunt and fish on lands owned by tribes who helped education and social service programs.
In the summer or 1971, the committee began running into problems when it attempted to run a state of candidates against the BIA-controlled group. The BIA arm controlled the election when it discovered it did not have the support of the Indian people.
Spooner's fall hours are Tuesday-
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
and Sunday 1:30 to 4:45 p.m. The museum will
be closed on Mondays.
The Indians took the matter to court, but before the court could act on the tribe's suit to allow the election to stand, the BIA sponsored and held a second election away from the reservation. The committee again swept the election with a majority. The suit pending in court was dropped when no attempt was made to void the election.
ACCORDING TO Forer, the future success of the tribe depends on their maintaining a land base. They need to control their own land. Because all of their reservation is controlled by white people and the BIA, the tribes desperately needs this land base and buildings to develop and expand their programs. The opportunity for them to be traded in to the form of the abandoned Saint Mary's College at Saint Mary's.
formerly the center of the Potawatomi reservation.
Over a hundred years ago, Saint Mary's was a Jesuit mission school for the Potentio-
mentary school of women.
The 1,380 tract of land was put under the care of the Jesuit missionaries in a treaty of 1861, with the provision that when the church no longer used the land, it would revert back to the Indians. In the 1876, the Jesuits began a mission to Saint Mary's College was established.
AT THE BALL PARK "PITCHERS ARE OUR BUSINESS"
"They tried to get us to drop the reversemary clause," he said. "They claimed it was too much."
8 p.m. - Midnight
PITCHERS
Monday & Wednesday
3-5 p.m. each afternoon
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15
DRAUGHTS
The BIA attempted to disrupt our negotiations by threatening and splitting our leadership and our people. They succeeded only partially.
"OUR LAND would be transferred to white commercial interests. This has been the history of federal policy with regard to Indian lands."
"It was apparent to us that a successful model of an independent Indian community with a full range of programs was intolerable to the government. Their policy would require them to stand on the reservations, to drive off the land, and to assimilate us in the cities.
During all
T. V. Baseball Games.
When the tribe held firm, the government, still opposing the clause, frone tribunal funds and denied the tribal chairmen the right to call meetings, according to Jesssee.
THE BALL PARK
★ Hillcrest Shopping Center ★
On October 4 of last year, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs suspended the commissioner and expelled their leadership and took over direct control of the tribe. The BIA has negotiated directly for Saint Mary's, but the commissioner has signed to sign the land over to the government.
"Our planning grant was not funded, despite earlier promises from federal agencies," he said. "The BIA spread rumors that we were mismanaging funds. They told many outright lies, as well as highlighting vital information from our people."
In August, 75 representatives went to the BIA office at Horton to present their grievances. Although they had an appeal to accept the list of grievances and called the police to disperse the crowd, Violence resulted. The crowd dispersed when a Washington official phoned to say that they were forced to accept the hear the grievances of the tribe.
★ OPEN TILL MIDNIGHT ★
IN THE FACE of what the government feared would be a direct confrontation, the BIA called the leaders to Washington in mid-August for talks.
THERE HAS BEEN no reversal of BIA action or a restoration of the tribe's cone.
There they met with another Indian, Ernest Stevens, who claimed to have full training.
"We were stunned," Jessepe said. "Once again, the government had broken its pledge to Indian people, using another official Ernest Stevens, to deceive us."
IN RETURN for these commitments,
Stevens asked the tribal leaders to give up
the reversionary clause, which they agreed
to do. An agreement was signed. Two weeks
later, a call came from a different official of
the BIA in Washington who told Jessepe that the BIA would not honor Stevens' commitments.
Jessepe ended his speech with a plea: "To all Indian people who cherish the Indian way of life we say: If the BIA is permitted to do this to us, it will do it to you. To all non-Indian people we ask; If federal power is permitted to dominate our lives, how long will it be before it dominates yours?"
"Stevens promised to unfreeze our funds, lift all the other restrictions against us, send us a community developer to help fund our programs for Saint Mary's, investigate all issues," she said. "We'll interfere in our affairs, and to let us select our own BIA field representative to
It was fortunate for the tribe that although they had signed an agreement, the women did not attend.
Opatena Nanwaywin, a leader of the Cree
Opetana, has said of the Indian struggle for
repeal of the Treaty.
handle all the future dealings between our tribe and the BIA," Jesseme said.
"It would be much easier just to fold our hands and not make this fight—to say, I, one man, can do nothing. I grow afraid that he will find it like this. We all know the story about the man who sat beside the trail too long, and then it grew over and he could never find his way again. We can never forget what has happened, and back nor can we just sit beside the trail."
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