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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2002

"Sadly, at times, it takes a tragic death like that of the honorable Sen. Paul Wellstone to make us realize how important his voice was to Minnesota, in general, and to Native Americans, in particular. Wellstone listened to tribal people and sometimes was our only voice.

As the populations on reservations grow and American Indians become shrewd in the political arena, our block of votes grows more pivotal to election outcomes and we will have a stronger voice.

I vote in North Dakota because I live across the river. Yet for us - Native Americans - Indian country has no borders. We once moved freely as far as our horses would carry us. Today, we still move in those same areas, but we move faster by car and air. This long-distance travel introduces us to our neighboring tribes, where we sometimes choose life companions.

So, some of the issues that Wellstone fought for helped this North Dakotan.

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Wellstone's voice will be missed on reservations (The Grand Forks Herald 10/29)

Relevant Links:
Sen. Paul Wellstone - http://wellstone.senate.gov

Related Stories:
Mondale pitched for Senate seat (10/28)
Senator Paul Wellstone: 1944-2002 (10/26)