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Fire strikes Mesa Verde
The summer's been a hotbed of fire activity and
this week, fire fighters successfully contained a
fire started by lightning in the Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern
Colorado.
The fire threatened not only the neighboring Ute Mountain Ute
Reservation but also the park's Pueblo villages.
Fortunately, both lives and archaeological resources
were spared as the blaze was kept away from
the park's main attractions.
But for a while, it was looking scary as fire officials
said they were worried about being able to fight
the growing blaze. As the week wore on, however,
cooperating weather helped them gain a hold on
the blaze.
The blaze consumed almost 24,000 acres and it also
uncovered new sites for scientists, who hope to discover
and probe them in an attempt to figure out some of
the mysteries they associate with the park's former
inhabitants. A Ute elder hopes that Pueblo leaders
will conduct a healing ceremony at the park.
Get the Story:
Fire
threatens reservation, ruins (Enviro 7/24)
Mesa
Verde fire grows, nears ruins (Enviro 7/25)
Mesa
Verde fire slows down (Enviro 7/26)
Rain
could threaten Mesa Verde (Enviro 7/27)
Mesa
Verde fire nearly contained (Enviro 7/28)
Elder
sees signs of distress (Enviro 7/28)
Indian Country politics
Only 12 percent of readers who participated in an
informal Indianz.Com survey believed Senator
John McCain could properly educate Presidential candidate
George W. Bush about tribal sovereignty, were Bush
to chose McCain as his running mate.
But most likely for other reasons, Bush instead chose
Dick Cheney, former defense secretary and Congressman,
for the coveted position.
Meanwhile, fall-out from the Washington State
Republican Party Fiasco continues to trickle through
in various forms. As one columnist points
out deficiencies in Senator Slade Gorton's
stance on sovereignty, another urges tribal leaders
to look at his record more closely.
With the Republican National
Convention beginning today, all eyes are now on the
party to see how many minorities, women, and, perhaps
most importantly, tribal and other Indian
leaders, will be active participants.
Get the Story:
McCain
falls out of favor (The Talking Circle 7/24)
LETTER:
Democratic landslide (The Talking Circle 7/24)
Mark
Trahant: Sovereignty...except (The Talking Circle 7/24)
Cheney
accepts VP nod (The Talking Circle 7/25)
Should
Indian Country reconsider Gorton? (The Talking Circle 7/25)
EDITORIAL:
Respect treaties, indigenous rights (The Talking Circle 7/25)
Government criticized over NAGPRA
The Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
of 1990 is one of the most heavily litigated areas of
law today, having been contested by tribal leaders,
scientists, and even the federal government.
But the government was the focus of much of the
criticism as panelists before the Senate Committee on
Indian Affairs testified that the government
wasn't doing its job properly. Failure to consult
with tribes, repatriate in a timely manner, and an
allegation of conflict of interest were
the primary concerns made by those intimately
involved with the law and its workings.
At least one success was noted last week, however.
The scalp of Lakota Chief Big Foot was repatriated
to his family.
Get the Story:
Leaders
discuss NAGPRA (Indian U. 7/27)
Scalp
to be repatriated (Indian U. 7/28)
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