FROM THE ARCHIVE

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In The Hoop
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2002

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

Congressional Quarters
If the folks at the MTV show "Cribs" were to venture over to Congress to do a taping, they'd find the interestingly decorated digs of Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.).

Roll Call did just that and reported that Campbell, vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, replaced the "bland" furnishings that normally come with a Senate office with ones made by his son, Colin, who happens to be a jeweler. "It was a lengthy process. It took several months," a Campbell staffer told the publication.

Naturally, the office is replete with items reflective of Campbell's Northern Cheyenne heritage. But he also has pink pigs clad in "motorcycle jackets," according to Roll Call.

Campbell's office was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, by the way.

It's not the size that matters...
Roll Call also visited the offices of hot-tempered Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), known for his frequent outbursts in favor of Alaska Native corporations and against the Department of Interior.

Closer inspection of one of his artifacts reveals where he gets some of his inspiration: a gavel made out of a walrus penis bone. It represents "control and power," an aide said.

Some may remember he used the 18-inch long penis bone, better known as an oosik, during a 1994 debate with an Interior official. Young beat it into his hand and complained that Alaska Natives weren't able to hunt due to restrictive environmental laws.

Bling Bling!
Incidentally, Roll Call just published its annual "Who's Rich in Congress" guide and guess who makes an appearance for the first time? The aforementioned Campbell.

Thanks to "savvy" investments in "everything from property to a jewelry business," Campbell broke into the publication's Top 50 list with $3.2 million in assets, a tie with Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.).

According to Roll Call, Campbell's jewelry and furniture business, Nighthorse Inc., is worth between $250,000 and $500,000, and his cattle investment is worth between $1 million and $5 million and brought in $16,320 in income in 2001. Campbell lives on the Southern Ute Reservation in Colorado, where he enjoys trust land living and the associated benefits, or drawbacks, depending on whom you consult.

God v. the BIA
The executive director of a Christian organization in upstate New York has an interesting philosophical question before him: Do I trust the man upstairs or the BIA?

Michael Chorey says both. According to The Buffalo News, he's put his faith in God and assurances from the BIA that the Seneca Nation's casino in Niagara Falls won't open until next year, at the earliest.

Otherwise, he'll to rely on something a bit more reliable these days: the court system. "Obviously, now it's become a legal matter for us if they don't accommodate us," Chorey said of the BIA.

A BIA regional official told another New York paper that a decision could be ready in time for a January 2003 opening. "It doesn't sound like a whole lot [of work]," said Brian Pogue.

In Your Hoop
Do you think the BIA approve any land-into-trust decisions soon? Email In the Hoop and let us know.