Archived News Item

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• Tonkawa Tribe Chairman Don Patterson, Delaware Tribe Chief Paula Pechonick, and Osage Nation Chief John Red Eagle met in Bartlesville recently. They met with representatives of Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin’s administration to discuss taxation and jurisdiction issues.

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• Chief Pechonick signs partnership agreement with Emporia State University President Michael Shonrock. For details, see http://www.esubulletin.com/2012/11/29/13752

Our Moraviantown cousins made the news recently with an Idle No More peaceful protest:

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2013/01/11/peaceful-protest-staged-by-native-groups

The press release issued as part of this protest is given below:

Press Release, January 14, 2013
From: INM founders, organizers and Elder advisors

Idle No More has a responsibility to resist current government policies in a peaceful and respectful way. It can be done. It can be done without aggression or violence. This is an energetic, exciting and transformative time. This movement has been guided by spiritual Elders, dreams, visions and from peoples’ core values. We are here to ensure the land, the waters, the air, and the creatures and indeed each of us, return to balance and discontinue harming each other and the earth. To keep us on this good path, we ask that you, as organizers create space for Elders or knowledge/ceremonial keepers to assist in guiding decisions as we move forward. It is up to each of us to see that this movement respects all people, the environment, and our communities and neighbours. In peace and solidarity.

Events are happening throughout Canada, the United States and the World in support of Idle No More.

Other Idle No More Events in Oklahoma:

This is a call for anyone that willing to march in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade to represent Idle No More. Singers, signs, vehicle(s) are needed, as well as any suggestions. The parade is next Monday 21st @ 2pm. Of course arrival will need to be in plenty of time before 2. Thank you, your support is needed. (From the Oklahoma City Idle No More Facebook page )

An announcement from the UINOKT meeting last week:

Tribal members and members of other Nations and Tribes are encouraged participate in an Idle No More flashmob at the State Capitol Building in Oklahoma City at 11am January 25th.

Learn why Idle No More is dancing:

http://www.hashilthsa.com/news/2013-01-15/letter-chief-theresa-spence-jan-15

What’s a Flashmob?

A flash mob is a group of people in a public place who are seemingly unrelated erupt into what appears to be a spontaneous act at the same time.

A Flash Mob in Action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHEUghzYe3Y

The enrollment office has been inundated with calls this month regarding the Cobell Case settlement. As $1000 checks began to be sent to individuals across Indian Country many Delaware tribal members became curious as to who is qualified to receive this money and how to claim it. Our office has not been contacted at all by the BIA, Dept. of Interior, or the law firm handling the disbursements either to give instructions or to request individual recipient contact information, so the confusion and chaos is monumental. Through trial and error, personal experience, and consultation with various officials and attorneys, we have come up with the following abbreviated explanation of qualifications and a procedure for filing claims.

Qualifications:

• Historical Accounting Class- Had IIM account and received Indian Money between 1994 and 2009
• Trust Administration Class- Had IIM account and received Indian Money between 1985 and 2009
• Fractionated Trust Land- Everyone-identifying individuals who hold an interest in the ownership of a piece of trust land (attempt will be made to purchase this land from the individuals)
• Heirs of those who would fall into any of these categories

We advise everyone to register and file a claim.

Procedure:

1. Call the Office of the Special Trustee Beneficiary Call Center at 1-888-678-6836
   Obtain an IIM Account # (may need to know what year you received your Indian Money and the amount received)
2. Go to www.IndianTrust.com
   File a claim electronically or print the form to file by mail
   May call to verify claim or to verify inclusion in classes
   1-800-961-6109

For a detailed notice of the settlement details please see http://www.cobellsettlement.com/notice or for frequently asked questions see http://www.cobellsettlement.com/faq

The Social Services LIHEAP program will be accepting applications December 1 through March 1 for utility costs. The program is also administering Residential Energy Affordability Challenge Program (REACH) benefits for heating and air unit repair/replacement, hot water tank replacement, and installation of Energy Star appliances, and to help with utility bills.

For information on the programs, please go to the LIHEAP Program and REACH Program pages under Services/Programs.

Tribal Council members Chester L. Brooks, Annette Ann (Martin) Ketchum, and Nathan H. Young, Chief Tribal Judge Donald E. Mason, and Associate Tribal Judge Charles Edward Randall will be sworn into office on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm at the Delaware Community Center in Bartlesville. Tribal members are encouraged to attend.

A Tribal Council meeting will immediately follow the swearing-in ceremony.

Congratulations to Chester L. Brooks, Annette Ann (Martin) Ketchum, and Nathan H. Young on their election to four-year terms on the Tribal Council; Donald E. Mason for his election to Chief Judge of the Tribal Court; and Charles Edward Randall for his election to Associate Judge of the Tribal Court.

Thanks to all Delaware tribal members who voted in the election!

A certified copy of the results of the election is on file at the Tribal Offices at 170 NE Barbara, Bartlesville, OK.

FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2012 GENERAL ELECTION FOR TRIBAL COUNCIL AND TRIBAL COURT

DELAWARE TRIBE TO HONOR VETERANS ON NOVEMBER 9 IN BARTLESVILLE

The Delaware Tribe of Indians will honor tribal veterans at a special recognition ceremony on Friday November 9 at 10:00 am at the Tribal Community Center, 5100 E. Tuxedo Blvd in Bartlesville. All Delaware Tribal members who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces are invited to attend and receive recognition for their service. The keynote address will be delivered by John Henry Mashunkashey, a Marine Corps veteran from the Osage Nation. The ceremony is hosted by the Delaware Veterans Committee and Delaware War Mothers. The ceremony will be followed by a luncheon with tribal leaders and elders. For more information contact the Delaware Tribal Center at 918-337-6590.

Attention: Delaware Tribal members living in the Sacramento, CA area

You are invited to a meet-and-greet reception on Wednesday Oct. 24, 2012 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Room 303 of the Sacramento Convention Center 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA. Vice Chief Chet Brooks, Tribal Council Secretary Verna Crawford, Council member Nathan Young, Trust Board member Joe Brooks, Tribal Manager Curtis Zunigha, and Enrollment Director Leslie Fall-Leaf will be attending the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) conference scheduled that week and look forward to the opportunity to meet with you.

HEART OF THE DRUM, a feature length documentary film, was approved by the Tribal Council, by a unanimous vote to start the pre-production phase of the project. A Tribal Resolution is in effect to begin co-production with Angel City Film Works.

(Please note: Heart of the Drum is a working title for pre-production and fund raising; the final name is yet to be determined by agreement between the tribe and the film makers.)

Heart of the Drum portrays the constant rhythm of the cultural center of the tribe as a source of identity and renewal. We shall draw forward many untold stories of the Delawares’ participation and contribution to America’s history through the pre-Civil War and Civil War era into the present day.

Edie Robinette-Petrachi and Jack Robinette

This is a combined modern day story that emphasizes the tribal perspective on growth while honoring the richness of heritage. Through humor, stories, and music the viewing audience will be engaged and surprised to learn how the Lenape Language and culture is a part of their daily lives today.

There are two key components to the collaborative agreement between Angel City Film Works and the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The first is that the copyright of both the intellectual property and the film itself shall remain with the tribe. The Tribe will function in the role of Executive Producer. The film makers have already secured PBS broadcast interest for the film in multiple locations.

Second, there is a plan to collaborate creatively on the vision development of the project. Anita Mathis, Tribal Archivist and Librarian, is the Project Director for the tribe under the guidance of Chief Paula Pechonick and Tribal Manager Curtis Zunigha. A committee will be created to focus the creative collaboration as well as review written content in funding proposals and for the film itself.

Film production will take place over the next twelve months. Included in the content will be interviews with the tribe, audio recordings, archival video interviews, photographs, maps, and narrated letters. Original music and graphic design will be created by tribal members. This style of documentary storytelling will allow individuals to personalize the film and connect back to Kansas through family and tribal collections. Some filming will occur of the cultural events at Delaware Days, but the in-person interviews are planned for later in the fall.

On location filming will occur in Ste Genevieve; Delaware Town near Springfield, MO; Fort Leavenworth; Kaw Point; and all points on the reserve between the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. The filming is being planned to capture the beauty of all four seasons.

Several points of story and interest, such as Grinter’s Place, White Church, and Delaware Town, will include interviews with current-day curators and scholars who have affiliations with the tribe.

If you are interested in participating in the film project interviews, an announcement will be made for sign-ups in October, after Delaware Days.

You can also participate by gathering with family members to share stories and discuss your own family trees. Digital copies of photos or letters can be made to use in the film and to be archived in the tribal libraries.

Stay tuned for updates on the tribal web site (www.delawaretribe.org), the electronic bulletin board in the Delaware Community Center, and at www.delawaresdoc.com. For further information, contact Anita Mathis, Tribal Archivist and Tribal Project Director (amathis@delawaretribe.org); Edie Robinette-Petrachi, Film Director (edie@angelcityfilmworks.com), or Jack Robinette, Producer (jack@angelcityfilmworks.com).