Bemidji’s American Indian Resource
Center names new director
(By Lee Egerstrom) Bill Blackwell Jr.
became director of the novel, two-school American Indian Resource
Center at Bemidji in July and is now overseeing merged programs for
Indian students at Bemidji State University and Northwest
Technical College.
The collaboration between the two
nearby Bemidji campuses is partly an economic move for better use of
resources, Blackwell said in an interview. At the same time, it will
build critical mass for programs.
Three weeks into the job, Blackwell was
already holding meetings with students and community people
planning for the 43rd annual BSU Council of Indian Students Pow-Wow
next April. The Northwest Tech students will likely become a chapter
of the BSU group, working both jointly with the university students
and separately, he said.
That makes a fit given the
relationships between the two Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities (MnSCU) institutions at Bemidji. Students at the
two-year Northwest Tech can select on-campus dormitory housing at
Bemidji State and access dining services and cultural events at the
four-year university, the only such arrangement in the MnSCU system.
An enrolled member of the Grand Portage
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Blackwell has a bachelor’s degree
from Bemidji State and a master’s from University of
Minnesota-Duluth. Most recently he served as director of
institutional advancement heading private and public fundraising
efforts for Leech Lake Tribal College and previously was an
admissions and outreach coordinator at Leech Lake.
He succeeded Dr. Anton Truer who as
returned to the BSU faculty after a three-year term as the center’s
director.
Fond du Lac Band gets $6M in federal
broadband grants
MINNEAPOLIS – The Fond du Lac Band of
Ojibwe is receiving $6 million in federal grants to expand broadband
Internet service on its northeastern Minnesota reservation, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture announced July 20.
Garden Valley Telephone in the
northwestern town of Erskine and Consolidated Telephone in the
east-central city of Brainerd will get loans of $12.63 million and
$12.27 million respectively to help them improve phone and Internet
service, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also said in an
interview with The Associated Press.
The Fond du Lac tribal government will
contribute over $2 million to the project aimed at making high-speed
service available to all homes on the reservation, which currently
has DSL service only in a limited area, said Jason Hollinday, the
band’s planning director. He said that will support education,
economic development and health care — even let more members watch
Netflix.
Expanding rural broadband access is
“extraordinarily important,” Vilsack said. It creates
opportunities for businesses to access wider markets, farmers to get
market information, schools to provide distance-learning and for
health care providers to consult specialists, he said.
“Frankly, in rural areas,
particularly low-populated areas, it’s sometimes difficult to get
the private sector — without some incentive or boost — to be able
to fund a project,” he said.
The USDA has awarded more than $77
million in grants and over $6 billion in loans since 2009 for rural
broadband, bringing new or better access to more than 1.5 million
subscribers, Vilsack said. He added that millions more now have
access if they choose to use it.
Prairie Island announces contest
winners
RED WING, Minn. – The Prairie Island
Indian Community is hosted its annual wacipi July 10-12.
The dance championship included
contestant from about 80 tribes, with more than $33,000 distributed
across nine categories during the special feature at Prairie Island
Dakota Days. Champions were crowned in such categories as Tiny Tots,
Teens, Golden Age and Tribal Council, among others. The weekend
brought in 679 dancers.
Winners for the 2015 powwow (first and
second place, out of five total places) include: Golden Age Men’s
Northern: Terry Fiddler (first place); Jim Red Eagle (second place);
and Wayne Pushetonoqua (third place).
Golden Age Women’s Northern: Annamae
Pushetonequa (first place); Bev-Larvie Medhaug (second place);
and Madelynn Goodwill (third place). Golden Age Women’s Southern:
L. Amber Komahcheet (first place); Jones Sage (second place); and
Grandad Flyingmsn (third place).
Junior Boys Traditional Northern and
Southern Combined: Elijah Leonard, Jr. (first place); Aidan Buffalo
(second place); and Lincoln Kingbird (third place). Junior Boys
Grass: Peyton White Buffalo (first place); Ross Ike (second place);
and Rusty McCloud (third place). Junior Boys Fancy: Preston Olney
(first place); Geno Yellowbird-White Cloud (second place); and Dwight
White Buffalo, Jr. (third place).
Junior Girls traditional Northern and
Southern Combined: Sparrow Littlesky (first place); Candelinn Toehay
(second place); and Olivia Olson (third place). Junior Girls
Jingle Dress: Dori Rose Blue Thunder (first place); Kitahna Silas
(second place); and Orie Lowe (third place). Junior Girls Fancy:
Kasandra Arcoren (first place); Micayla Silas (second place); and
Morning Rain Honani (third place).
Teen Boys Northern Traditional: Donovan
Haury (first place); T.J. Olney (second place); and Talon White-Eye
(third place). Teen Boys Southern Straight: Darian Adakai (first
place); Brycen Whiteshirt (second place); and Jeffrey Lightfoot
(third place). Teen Boys Grass: Mason Mills (first place); James
Eaglestar (second place); and Desmond Madera (third place). Teen Boys
Fancy: Jessup Yazzie (first place); Tyler Thorman (second place);
Silas Whitebuffalo (third place).
Teen Girls Northern Traditional: Taylor
Clairmont (first place); Wamblie Littlesky (second place); Regan
Alexis Ishana (third place). Teen Girls Southern Buckskin/Cloth:
Whitney Sage (first place); Makayla Sage (second place); Alexis
Tanyan (third place). Teen Girls Jingle Dress: Waskwane Stonefish
(first place); Hokian McCloud (second place); Emma Clairmont
(third place). Teen Girls Fancy: Summer Dawn Olney (first place);
Oke-tw’sha Roberts (second place); Malia Jacobs (third place).
Junior Adult Men’s Northern
Traditional: Brando Jack (first place); Wendell Powless (second
place); Reuben Crowfeather, Jr. (third place). Junior Adult Men’s
Southern Straight: Lewis Perkins (first place); Denny Medicine Bird
(second place); Kiowa Charlie Cozad (third place). Junior Adult Men’s
Grass: Wylee Bearstail (first place); Wanbli Changing Eagle (second
place); Jon Taken Alive (third place). Junior Adult Men’s Chicken
Dance: Isaiah Stewart (first place);Rooster Topsky (second place);
Lee Goodman, Jr. (third place).
Junior Adult Women’s Northern
Traditional Cloth: Cindy Ward (first place); Jasmine Fiddler (second
place); Ariana Green Crow (third place). Junior Adult Women’s
Northern Traditional Buckskin: Alva Fiddler (first place); Krista
Marie Goodwell (second place); Randi Bird (third place). Junior Adult
Southern Cloth: Amanda Harris (first place); Elizabeth Nevaquaya
(second place); Ponca Wee Victors (third place). Junior Adult
Women’s Jingle Dress: Ryanne White (first place); Willow Abrahamson
(second place); Shawna Olson (third place). Junior Adult Women’s
Fancy: Laryn Oakes Yazzie (first place); T’ata Roberts (second
place); Naomi Nevaquaya (third place).
Adult Men’s Fancy 18+ Northern: Wayne
Silas, Jr. (first place); White Coyote Holy Bull (second place); Koy
Brearstail (third place). Adult Men’s Fancy 18+ Southern: Michael
Roberts (first place); Quanah Henry (second place); Canku One Star
(third place).
Senior Adult 35-54 Men’s Northern
Traditional: Russell McCloud (first place); Lonny Street (second
place); Tony Wahweotten (third place). Senior Adult 35-54 Men’s
Southern Straight: Kelly Grant (first place); Everett Moore (second
place); Dilly Komahcheet (third place).
Senior Adult 35-54 Women’s Northern
Traditional Buckskin: Tasha Spotted Tail (first place); Kellie Mae
Chaboyee Downwind (second place); Amber Buffalo (third place).
Junior Adult Women’s Southern
Buckskin: Charish Toehay (first place); Michelle Flyingman (second
place); DaLynn Alley (third place).
Senior Adult 35-54 Women’s Southern
Cloth: Tonya Moore (first place); Sandy Harris (second
place);Dyanni Hamilton (third place). Senior Adult Women’s Northern
Traditional Cloth: Gina Topsky (first place); Marcy Fiddler (second
place); Angie Handsley (third place).
Adult 35+ Men’s Grass: Buck Spotted
Tail (first place); George Growing Thunder (second place); Clifton
Goodwill (third place). Adult 35+ Men’s Chicken Dance: Marty
Thorman (first place); Dennis Nevagnaya (second place); Michael Davis
(third place).
Adult 35+ Women’s Jingle: Denise One
Star (first place); Rebecca Roberts (second place); Cassie
Lasley (third place). Adult 35+ Women’s Fancy: Verna Street (first
place); Nahmi Lasley (second place); Crystal Cleveland (third place).
Senior Adult Women’s Southern
Buckskin: Damita Goodwill (first place); Toni Tsatoke-Moore (second
place); Jaqueline Tsonetokay (third place).
Tribal Council Special Teen Girls
Fancy: Charlize Arcoren (first place); Alonna Childs (second place);
and Waskwone Stonefish (third place). Tribal Council Special
Teen Boys Chicken Dance: Cedrick Lasley (first place); Pete Bear
Heels (second place); and Desmond Madera (third place).
For a full listing of all the winners,
visit the Prairie Island Wacipi Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/pages/Prairie-Island-Indian-Community-Wacipi-Pow-Wow/156717104455302.
