now taking nominations

PRESS RELEASE - FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

The Tennessee Native American Convention (TNNAC) is now taking nominations for the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs, the Advisory Council of Tennessee Indian Affairs, TNNAC caucus board members, and Native American Indian represontation on other State commissions and boards.

Applications for nomination can be obtained at www.tnnac.org, along with signature sheets.

The nomination period closes May 28, 2005. Applications and signature sheets must be mailed before this date.

TNNAC is accepting nominations to the Metro area -- Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga -- commission seats and Advisory council seats. TNNAC is also accepting nominations to fill the vice chair seats at the seven area caucuses. The term of office will be 4 years from 2005-2009.

Only persons living in the metro county and contiguous counties are able to run for the metro-area Commission of Indian Affairs nominations, and for the Advisory Council positions. TNNAC board member seats are open in all seven area caucuses.

Those wishing to be a Nominee to any position must fill out an application and have at least 21 signatures of registered voters who support their candidacy. (We suggest obtaining at least 30 signatures in case some are not registered voters.) They must have at least 11 signatures of registered voters from inside their caucus area and at least 10 signatures from registered voters in their grand division. If they are applying for Indian Preference, that candidate must provide proof of Native American Indian descent.

The metro areas are defined as the following continguous-counties' areas:
Memphis: includes the counties of Fayette, Shelby and Tipton;
Nashville: Cheatham, Davidson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson counties;
Knoxville: Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union counties; and
Chattanooga: Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs, Rhea, and Sequatchie counties.

Anyone in these areas can be nominated for Commission of Indian Affairs and Advisory council if (a) they are a resident of the state of Tennessee, and (b) at least 18 years of age, and (c) fill out the application, (d) submit the appropriate number of signatures, and (e) mail them to TNNAC Secretary Lynn Clayton, 354 Lowrey Road, Medon TN 38356, before May 28, 2005.

Regional caucuses will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2005. At that time those who qualified in the nomination process for Commission of Indian Affairs, the Advisory Council, and the TNNAC board will be voted on. Each area caucus will select up to 4 Commission nominees, 3 Advisory Council members, 1 TNNAC board member and an alternate, and 15 delegates (including 5 alternate delegates) to go to the biennial Convention which will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2005 at Little Cedar Mountain, west of Chattanooga. The convention will decide which of the Commission candidates will be sent to the State for nomination to appointment.

If you have any questions and the web page does not answer them, please contact Vicky Garland via email or 931/ 766-0827.

TENNESSEE NATIVE AMERICAN CONVENTION
Vicky Garland, Public Relations Committee
vlg42@hotmail.com, 931/ 766-0827

John Smith, chairman
Lynn Clayton, secretary-treasurer

self-announced applicants for TNCIA 1.1

self-announced, unconfirmed applicants for the TN Commission of Indian Affairs
for the 2005-2009 metro areas, as of 17 april 2005

Memphis - Ruth Knight Allen, incumbent

Nashville - Niles Aseret

Knoxville -

Chattanooga - John Anderson, incumbent
                         - David Walker
                         - Doris Tate Trevino
                         - tom kunesh
                         - Alva Crowe

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


self-announced, unconfirmed applicants for the Advisory Council on TN Indian Affairs
for the 2005-2009 metro areas, as of 17 april 2005

Memphis -

Nashville - Joe McCaleb
                    - Sandi Perry

Knoxville -

Chattanooga - John Anderson
                            - Doris Tate Trevino
                            - tom kunesh



it's not known whether or not TNNAC has received all these applications
or if candidates have qualified with supporting signatures.
these are simply people who have said, publicly or privately,
that they intend to run. i presume that individuals can
withdraw at any time so this listing is simply an early and
wholly unofficial report for informational purposes only.

applications are available at www.tnnac.org/applicants.html

saturday, 25 june - Caucuses

MB physical prayer day

had a great day out on Moccasin Bend this past saturday morning, checking to see how much work needs to be done to keep it cleaned up. the sparseness of rain this year (compared with the floods of last year) have kept the grass down but the privet continues creeping in undaunted.

we met 3 guys taking "additional GPS measurements" (AGM) along the riverbank, gridding out the shoreline more precisely for the Army Corps of Engineers to plan their riverbank stabilization before it loses another 30 feet of trees.


a MB work/physicalprayer day is scheduled for sunday, 1 may, 9am (eastern).
all are invited. bring gloves, swing-blades, clippers, water,
weed-eaters, chain-saws, water, snacks, sage, tobacco, etc.
starting at 8.30 we'll meet at the tree-line
right before the Winston Building.

for directions or more info contact
Cleata Townsend at (423) 698-2804
or Sandy Goins (sundance1877-at-yahoo.com)


be advised, there are many burials in the area.
this is also a good time to acquiant yourself with Tennessee's cemetery laws, specifically the laws governing abandoned cemeteries and their "termination". while this area is now federal property protected by federal laws like NAGPRA, ARPA and the NHPA, other Native American burial sites that aren't on federal land don't have this protection and thus are under constant threat of "termination" if found "in a neglected or abandoned condition".


;>

self-announced applicants for TNCIA

self-announced applicants for the TN Commission of Indian Affairs
for the 2005-2009 metro areas, as of 15 april 2005

Memphis - Ruth Knight Allen, incumbent

Nashville -

Knoxville -

Chattanooga - John Anderson, incumbent
                        - David Walker
                        - Doris Tate Trevino
                        - tom kunesh
                        - Alva Crowe

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
it's not known whether or not TNNAC has received all these applications
or if candidates have qualified with supporting signatures.
these are simply people who have said, publicly or privately,
that they intend to run. i presume that individuals can
withdraw at any time so this listing is simply an early and
wholly unofficial report for informational purposes only.

applications are available at www.tnnac.org/applicants.html

saturday, 25 june - Caucuses

5th annual Civil Rights Conference at the UTM

Gray to headline fifth annual Civil Rights Conference

University Relations
Volume 77, Issue 18
Issue Publication: 2005-02-15

Civil rights attorney Fred Gray will headline the fifth annual Civil Rights Conference at UTM.
http://www.yankton.net/stories/021505/community_20050215035.shtml


Fred Gray, civil rights attorney, who represented both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., and won hundreds of school desegregation cases in Alabama, will headline the fifth annual Civil Rights Conference at the UTM. "Then and Now: The Road to School Desegregation in West Tennessee," is the theme for the conference, set for Feb. 21-26.

"The purpose of the week's events is to tell the story of school segregation from the perspective of the Native Americans and the African Americans who experienced segregated schools and desegregation in West Tennessee. The conference brings together a group of scholars, professionals and individuals who witnessed desegregation firsthand," said Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, chair of the UTM Civil Rights planning committee.

The event will kick off, Feb. 21, with a mock trial of "Brown vs. Board," sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA), the Black Student Association (BSA) and the Office of Multicultural Affairs at UTM. Poet and writer, Marilou Awiakta, author of "Selu: Seeking the Corn Mother's Wisdom," musicians, Tommy Wildcat, member of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma, and J.J. Kent, member of the Sioux tribe, Oglala Lakota, from Pine Ridge, will be available for autographs, Feb. 22. A Native American exhibit also will be ongoing outside Watkins Auditorium in Boling University Center.

Gray is scheduled to speak at 7:15 p.m., Feb. 24, in Watkins
Auditorium in Boling University Center. Among several others, he has won cases including, "Browder vs. Gayle," which integrated buses in Montgomery, Ala.; "Gomillion vs. Lightfoot," which opened the door for redistricting and reapportioning the various legislative bodies across the nation and laid the foundation for the concept of "one man one vote;" and "NAACP vs. State of Alabama," a case that first outlawed the NAACP from conducting business in Alabama and, after being taken to the Supreme Court three times, eventually granted the NAACP the right to resume business.

Gray also won a case reinstating students who were unconstitutionally expelled from Alabama State College, a class action suit, which led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and filed suits that integrated all state institutions of higher learning in Alabama.

TNSCC's Monthly Friendship Gathering

Traditional Native Survival and Cultural Center
Monthly Friendship Gathering



This is a time for Native People of our region to come together
for sharing and meeting new acquaintances and old friends.
We ask that people bring a covered dish for sharing.

Our Elders and Council members extend a warm welcome to all the Native American Indians that are able to come together at this time. We feel it's very important that we share our histories, our thoughts; networking as a community of people, supporting each other so we become stronger in ourselves, our families and communities. This makes stronger Nations. Our People are not bound by towns, states or National boundaries.

Our survival depends on our working together for future generations to come,
so the more we work on sharing and learning our cultures,
the better we are prepared in this important duty.

We look forward to meeting and sharing with those people that are ready to put our hearts and minds together to meet this important work.

with respect,
Elders and Council of T.N.S.C.C., Inc.

Where:
108 Main Street
New Tazewell, TN

When:
The last Saturday of each month, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Monthly Schedule for 2005
January 29th, February 26th, March 26th, April 30th, May 28th, June 25th,
July 30th, August 7th, September 24th, October 29th, and November 26th

Have a Safe Journey!

Traditional Native Survival and Cultural Center, Inc.
A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
P.O.Box 929
New Tazewell, TN 37825
Phone: (423) 526-5778

For more information, please call the Center at (423) 526-5778
Or e-Mail us at: tnscc_larry@hotmail.com

Commission's life extended

Senate Bill 1423, introduced thursday by Senator Thelma Harper of Nashville, chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee and co-sponsor of the 2001 and 2003 bills to re-create the Commission of Indian Affairs, proposes to change the termination (sunset) date of the Commission from 2005 and replace it with a 2009 date, extending the life of the Commission of Indian Affairs another four years.

The House Government Operations Committee will also need to concur, and it's expected that a House bill will be co-sponsored by its chairman, Representative Mike Kernell of Memphis, co-sponsor of the 2001 and 2003 bills, to re-set the timer of the Commission of Indian Affairs for another four years.

It's a very good sign indicating that the new Commission will be with us for a while longer.

--------------------------------------------
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-29-230(a) [Governmental entities terminated on June 30, 2009], is amended by adding a new item thereto, as follows:
( ) Commission of Indian affairs, created by § 4-34-101;

;>

--------------------------------------------
SB1423: Filed for intro on 02/03/2005
SENATE BILL 1423 By Harper

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 4, Chapter 34, relative to the commission of Indian affairs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-29-226(a), is amended by deleting item (25) in its entirety.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-29-230(a), is amended by adding a new item thereto, as follows:
( ) Commission of Indian affairs, created by § 4-34-101;
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.
--------------------------------------------
Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 4-29-230. Governmental entities terminated on June 30, 2009.

Annual Cherokee Indian Heritage & Sandhill Crane Viewing Day

The 13th annual Cherokee Indian Heritage & Sandhill Crane Viewing Day will be held at Birchwood School on Saturday, Feb. 5, 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM EST. Birchwood School is located on TN Hwy 60, near the TN River, between Dayton and Cleveland, north of Chattanooga. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes, and possibly a few Whooping Cranes will be on hand. Eagles are frequently spotted during the festival. There will be a variety of vendors, displays, and speakers on wildlife, ornithology, archaeology and Cherokee history.
Also the Tennessee Chapter Trail of Tears Association (TNTOTA) will meet Saturday at Birchwood school.

blood for Ms Van

Commissioner Van Lynch of West Tennessee had knee surgery on
thursday and has lost some blood through her kidneys and liver.

a physical offering of a donation of a pint of blood in her name,
Evangeline Lynch of Kenton TN, would be a good prayer.
it doesn't matter what your blood type is.
ask your local blood bank about honor
or tribute donations.

it's a very good and very
special kind of prayer.

;>

cards to:
Commissioner Van Lynch
c/o Baptist Memorial Hospital
Russell and Bishop Streets
Union City TN 38261

no phone calls, please.

preparing for an election

Jacqueline Johnson: I am Tlingit, from the southeast part of Alaska. I am Raven Sockeye from the Raven House. My Tlingit name is Kus ees

LISE KING: What does it mean for you, being the Executive Director of NCAI?

Johnson: I am responsible for any business, the financial stability, for the overall administration and operation of the organization. But on top of it all, for NCAI, you have the political strategy, development pieces that are critical, and you have to build bridges with all the alliances.

KING: Was Native Vote 2004 your project, something you wanted to make sure happened? Johnson: Absolutely! I was involved in the effort to get out the vote in our villages and homes in Alaska. I really saw the benefit when we actually went from a 13% rate of voter turn out to a 60% rate of voter turn out, and we made a major difference in the election of the Governor. Not only that, but we made it very clear even before the race ended that we were checking all the commissions and every appointment that he was responsible for making. He knew before he was elected that we wanted appointments and we wanted input on certain positions, and then we started tracking people who were interested in those positions. We didn’t just say, “we want appointments.” We said, “Here is a list of folks, their resumes, these are people who have credentials to do these kinds of positions.”

I think it made a big difference in the way policy was being developed in Alaska because you’ve got native Alaskans in key positions, developing policy. The Native vote was more than just getting out the vote, it was about making a difference for the future.

From the Qualla: Irish, Cherokee work to build cultural ties

Irish, Cherokee work to build cultural ties through song, dance

photo: Jill Ingram/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cherokee princesses stand on stage Monday night in Cherokee. From left, they are Miss Cherokee Emra Arkansas, Senior Miss Cherokee Judith Welch, Teen Miss Cherokee Kara Martin, Junior Miss Cherokee Kennedy Hornbuckle and Little Miss Cherokee Peri Arizona Wildcatt.

Related Links
PHOTOS: 1 of 6 - Cherokee and Irish dancers

Members of the Cherokee Warrior Dancers perform Monday night in Cherokee. They are in traditional war paint. Photo by Jill Ingram, staff photographer.
Citizen-Times Photo
Jan 24, 2005


Irishwomen perform traditional dance Monday as part of cultural exchange and show of friendship in Cherokee. Photo by Jill Ingram, staff photographer.
Citizen-Times Photo
Jan 24, 2005


Cherokee princesses onstage Monday night in Cherokee. From left, they are Miss Cherokee Emra Arkansas, Senior Miss Cherokee Judith Welch, Teen Miss Cherokee Kara Martin, Junior Miss Cherokee Kennedy Hornbuckle and Little Miss Cherokee Peri Arizona Wildcatt. Photo by Jill Ingram, staff photographer.
Citizen-Times Photo
Jan 24, 2005


A Cherokee man sings and drums in the traditional style Monday in Cherokee. Photo by Jill Ingram, staff photographer.
Citizen-Times Photo
Jan 24, 2005


Members of the Cherokee Warrior Dancers perform Monday night in Cherokee. They are in traditional war paint. Photo by Jill Ingram, staff photographer.
Citizen-Times Photo
Jan 24, 2005


Hoop dancer Daniel Tramper, a national champion, performs Monday night in Cherokee.
Citizen-Times Photo
Jan 24, 2005



By Jill Ingram
STAFF WRITER
January 25, 2005 6:00 am

CHEROKEE - In an evening of juxtapositions that included traditional drumming and bagpipes, kilts and loincloths, and war cries and jigs, the Irish and Cherokee nations celebrated their friendship Monday night with a celebration of their respective cultural traditions.

John, The Lord Alderdice, who sits in London's House of Lords and is a former speaker for the Northern Irish Assembly, was guest of honor at the event, which Cherokee Principal Chief Michell Hicks said was a year in the planning.

"It's the coming together of two nations that have both been through oppression and transgression," Hicks said. "Now we are circling back around to renew a friendship."

Speaking to about 450 spectators in the auditorium of Cherokee High School, on the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, Alderdice told the group he was "hugely impressed" with the Cherokee commitment to social and economic issues and education.

He had a "deep appreciation that the first people across the world have much to give and much to teach," Alderdice said.

The visitors also included other native people from places including Canada, California and Oklahoma, and religious leaders from across the country. The visit wasn't for the purpose of proselytizing but there was a religious quality to the evening.

"The Cherokee are known for their spiritual heritage and there is a lot of healing that needs to take place," said Ada Winn, a Cherokee from Tulsa, Okla., who traveled with the delegation.

The visit was the follow-up to a trip that members of the Eastern Band made to Ireland a year ago. The forgiveness and healing many referred to Monday night has to do with the treatment of the Cherokee and other native people at the hands of the English, Scots, Irish and their descendants in America. There were apologies, exchanges of gifts, and, of course, the dancing.

The singing and dancing began with the Cherokee national anthem, sung in Cherokee, then proceeded with dances that were in turn traditional Irish and Cherokee. The Cherokee Warrior Dancers, a troupe of men in traditional warrior garb and war paint, were the first onstage. They were followed by a quartet of women performing traditional Irish dance. Daniel Tramper, an Eastern Band member, wowed the audience with his championship hoop dancing.

Marci Johnson, 12, a member of the Anikuwih (Mulberry) Dancers, children from an extended family that perform traditional dance, said she was happy to be part of the event.

"We're supporting our tribe," she said.

The delegation will be in Tennessee today, where Alderdice will address Indian residents at the Capitol building in Nashville.

__________________________________________________
Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monitory gain to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the material for research and educational purposes. This is in accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. section 107.

Shaking the capitol

Yesterday the drum shook the state capitol building as all the officials from Oklahoma and Tennessee who attended the Lord Alderdice's visit, including Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Chad Smith, entered and exited. Good words and not-so-good words were spoken, and the state's representatives (apart from one guy who looked mightily unhappy sitting up front) were noticeably missing. But the biggest impression i left with was that this was probably the first time a Native American drum had ever been in the Tennessee State Capitol.

Inside the event was being filmed, and leaving the building we saw the TV news trucks with their transmitters up. But last night and today, not a word on TV, not a word in the press. Apparently Governor Bredesen's TennCare changes consumed the media on the hill yesterday.

Still, i find it amazing that we can shake the capitol like it's never been shaken before, with out-of-state and out-of-country dignitaries, and receive not a single mention in the Tennessee news media. And to see who else did get covered yesterday by the Nashville media makes it feel like it was an intentional snub.

It shows how little we've come. And how we have yet to go.

the 4 major resolutions passed at the 4dec04 TNCIA mtg

Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs meeting
Chucalissa Museum, Memphis . 4 december 2004

1. SUPPORT FOR LEONARD PELTIER'S CONTINUED QUEST FOR JUSTICE
   proposed by Commissioner Teri Ellenwood, Knoxville
   approved: Teri Lee R. Ellenwood, Knox and surrounding counties, Chair
   Jimmy Reedy, Middle Tennessee, Vice Chair
   Mike Mangrum, Nashville and surrounding counties
   
   
2. RECOGNITION OF HISTORIC TRIBES OF TENNESSEE
   proposed by the Advisory Council on Tennessee Indian Affairs
   adopted unanimously
   
   
3. RECOGNITION CRITERIA FOR NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS, TRIBES, OR BANDS
   added: "(7) Has maintained continuous state-tribal relations from 1796."
   [1-6: same as 1990 TNCIA criteria 0785-1-.03; 7: 2004; 1796 - year of Tennessee statehood]
   adopted unanimously
   
   
4. RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT TO SAVE LITTLE CEDAR MOUNTAIN
   proposed by Commissioner John Anderson, Chattanooga
   adopted unanimously
   

text of resolutions at www.tncia.org/4dec04-resolutions.html

TNCIA supports saving Little Cedar Mountain

In his quarterly report, Tennessee Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Anderson (Tuscarora/Six Nations) of Chattanooga made the following comment:

5. The public property at Little Cedar Mountain held in trust by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is being threatened with proposed development. I would like to see the following Resolution of Support to Save Little Cedar Mountain adopted by the Commission. The previous Commission of Indian Affairs was asked to support saving Little Cedar Mountain from development back on July 18, 1998 in Millington, but no action was ever taken by the Commission.

Resolution of Support to Save Little Cedar Mountain

---

Whereas: The Little Cedar Mountain area, currently held in trust for the United States' people by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), is historically significant to Native American people, given its long history of habitation and specific significance to the Chickamauga Cherokee; and

Whereas: After several Native American protests, TVA promised in March 1999 that "TVA will no longer pursue the development of the Little Cedar Mountain project on Nickajack Lake" and that "we [TVA] believe it is important for TVA to continue to maintain these public lands for use by everyone"; and

Whereas: TVA has not met its legal responsibility to protect and preserve cultural resources by initiating a phase-one archaeological survey of the area that would accurately account for all of the presumptive archaeological sites in the area; and

Whereas: TVA has not satisfactorily studied the impact of increased river traffic on the underwater village sites and human burials that were flooded by the creation of Nickajack Lake; and

Whereas: TVA has not entered into any dialogues mandated by the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) with the culturally affiliated tribes of record regarding the disposition of the large quantity of human remains that TVA continues to hold; and

Whereas: TVA has not initiated any discussion of the Native American Graves Protection Act (NAGPRA), sacred sites, traditional cultural properties and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) with the culturally affiliated tribes with the end goal of drafting a Programmatic Agreement for Section 106 of NHPA and the drafting of an agreement for Section 3 of NAGPRA, Inadvertent Discoveries; and

Whereas: The Little Cedar Mountain area, currently held in trust for the United States' people by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), is environmentally significant as a wild area to maintaining the health of the Tennessee River watershed and is one of the last remaining free and accessible public spaces on the Tennessee River;

Therefore Be It Resolved That the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs go on record supporting TVA's 1999 decision to "to maintain these public lands for use by everyone" and not to "pursue the development of the Little Cedar Mountain project on Nickajack Lake".

The motion was adopted unanimously at the Commission's 4 December 2004 meeting at Chucalissa in Memphis.

TNCIA recognizes historic tribes of Tennessee

At its 4 December 2004 meeting at Chucalissa in Memphis, the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs approved a resolution "TO RECOGNIZE HISTORIC TRIBES OF TENNESSEE", suggested by the Advisory Council on Tennessee Indian Affairs:

WHEREAS: The history of the land called "Tennessee" began with the indigenous people of this continent; and

WHEREAS: Many places in Tennessee are still called by the names originally given to them by the First Peoples, including Chattanooga and Ootewah from the Muscogee (Creek) people, and Soddy (Tsati) and Tellico from the Cherokee people, and Sewanee from the Shawnee people, and Red Bank and Running Water from the intertribal-US period; and

WHEREAS: The indigenous people of Tennessee were, in large part, removed from Tennessee by imported diseases, indigenous forces allied with the new United States of America, and ultimately by US government policy and military in the 1830s; and

WHEREAS: The indigenous people of Tennessee still remain in the land, and the children of the indigenous people removed from this land still maintain a connection to their interred ancestors and to the land that created them; and

WHEREAS: Many monuments and burials of the indigenous people of Tennessee still remain on and in the land, momuments and burials which need continuous vigilance in order to safeguard them, including Chucalissa Village, Pinson Mounds, Mounds Bottom, Old Stone Fort, Moccasin Bend, Red Clay, and the original Tanasi village site; and

WHEREAS: It is fitting and just to recognize the indigenous people of Tennessee as the First People of Tennessee and to extend to them as Nations the recognition of the State as interested and involved parties in the future of their ancestors and the land; and

WHEREAS: Federal mandates including the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA Section 106) direct interaction with appropriate representatives in order to satisfy federal consultation requirements; and

WHEREAS: The State of Tennessee acknowledges its own interaction with representatives of these tribes in order to preserve the history of the First People of Tennessee;

THEREFORE Be It Resolved That the State of Tennessee recognize the historical Nations of Indigenous People that first inhabited and named this land, including but not necessarily limited to:

1. the Yuchi Tribe of Oklahoma
   
2. the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma
   
3. the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Oklahoma
   
4. the Kialegee Tribal Town, Oklahoma
   
5. the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Oklahoma
   
6. the Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas
   
7. the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
   
8. the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama
   
9. the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma
   
10. the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina
    
11. the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma
    
12. the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma
    
13. the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
    
14. the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi
    
15. the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
    
16. the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
    
17. the Loyal Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma;
    

and

That the state Commission of Indian Affairs and the state Division of Archaeology and the Governor's Archaeological Advisory Council are directed to interact with the Historic Preservation Officers of these tribes and nations to better protect, preserve and interpret these sites for our future children.

SJR8 A RESOLUTION to recognize and welcome The Lord Alderdice

Filed for intro on 01/13/2005
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 8
By Fowler

A RESOLUTION to recognize and welcome The Lord Alderdice, member of the House of Lords and former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

WHEREAS, the members of this General Assembly are pleased to specially recognize those dynamic leaders of foreign lands who travel to our great state to foster understanding, share cultural expressions and develop common bonds of fellowship and good will; and

WHEREAS, such an internationally acclaimed dignitary is The Lord Alderdice, a member of the House of Lords and the former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, who is leading a delegation of goodwill ambassadors to be hosted by the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs, the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee and Peregrini International; and

WHEREAS, born March 28, 1955, to the Reverend David and Helena Alderdice, in Northern Ireland, John, Lord Alderdice was educated at Donaghcloney Primary School, Strandtown Primary School in Belfast, and Ballymena Academy where he earned the placement of Deputy Head Boy; and

WHEREAS, continuing his education, Lord Alderdice read Medicine at Queen’s University of Belfast and graduated MB, BCh, BAO in 1978; he became a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrist (MRCPsych) in 1983 and later specialized in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy; and

WHEREAS, highly respected and greatly admired by his peers and colleagues, Lord Alderdice was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych) in 1997, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and in 2001 an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and of the British Psychoanalytical Society; and - 2 - 00167036

WHEREAS, in 1978 Lord Alderdice joined the Alliance Party and was elected Party Leader in October 1987, he won election to the Belfast City Council in 1989 and to the newly formed Northern Ireland Forum in 1996; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure on the Northern Ireland Forum he led the Alliance delegation and served in that same capacity in the Multi-party Talks chaired by former United States Senator George Mitchell prior to being raised to the peerage in October 1996; and

WHEREAS, taking his seat on the Liberal Democrat benches in the House of Lords on November 5, 1996, Lord Alderdice played an integral role in the Irish Peace Process, serving as one of the key negotiators of the Belfast Agreement signed on Good Friday in 1998; and

WHEREAS, a committed internationalist, Lord Alderdice was elected an Executive Member of the Federation of European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Parties in 1987, Treasurer in 1995 and in 1999 served as Vice President of the organization. He is a former Vice President of Liberal International, and in October 2000, was elected the Deputy President of Liberal International, the world-wide federation of liberal political parties; and

WHEREAS, elected in 1998 to the new Northern Ireland Assembly as a member for Belfast East, he resigned as Leader of the Alliance Party and was appointed Speaker of the new Assembly, which post he held until retiring on February 29, 2004; and

WHEREAS, a truly caring and dedicated individual, Lord Alderdice has helped to found a number of Northern Ireland charities and professional organizations and worked tirelessly with a multitude of national and international religious and professional organizations; and

WHEREAS, an Elder in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Lord Alderdice is a devoted husband to wife, Joan, a Consultant Pathologist, and is the proud father of three children, Stephen, Peter and Anna; and

WHEREAS, this General Assembly is honored to have such an eminent individual as The Lord Alderdice visit Nashville and the State of Tennessee; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING,
that this General Assembly, on behalf of the citizens of Tennessee, hereby extends our most cordial welcome to The Lord Alderdice and his entire delegation from Ireland as they meet with the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs, the Native American Association of Tennessee and American Indian citizens of our state on January 25th, 2005.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we also offer our best wishes for a fruitful and rewarding visit, and express our profound hope that The Lord Alderdice will return in the future.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy.

the Archaeology Advisory Council relationship

This past saturday human bones dating from around 400-900 ce (Mississippian) were discovered northeast of Chattanooga. Most of us locals, i believe, found out third-hand. The Chattanooga Riverwalk, nearing completion, is said to have encountered several burials of which we have never heard. Coolidge Park is said to have a burial right in the middle of it somewhere. Where is our Native American archaeology contact?

The Tennessee Archaeological* Advisory Council is a 10-member governor-appointed group whose meetings are governed by the state sunshine law**, just like the TN Commission of Indian Affairs. There are reserved places for 3 Native American representatives on the Council.

In the past the Tennessee indian community hasn't had much interaction at all with this Council, and the majority of its indian members have been relatively obscure people apart from Don Yahola (Middle TN), Alva Crowe (East TN), and now Pat Cummins (Middle TN). To the best of anyone's knowledge, the West TN representative, Russell E. Baugh, has never been at a Commission of Indian Affairs meeting and is relatively unknown in the indian community. The last meeting the East TN representative, Leela Cross, attended was in Johnson City back around 1998.

IT'S TIME our indian representatives on this Council get back in touch with the indian community by reporting quarterly to the Commission of Indian Affairs, and time that the indian community makes sure that its representatives on this Council know what's happening in archaeology around the state from the indian community perspective, the political impact of the recent AG's opinion, and the sites that are being threatened by development. It's also time that we make sure that the TN Archaeology Advisory Council, which is overseen by TN Department of Environment and Conservation, the same as the Commission of Indian Affairs, complies with the same sunshine law that the Commission of Indian Affairs has to comply with, and that the indian community have the ability to obtain the agenda of the Archaeological Advisory Council the same way that it receives notice of the Commission's meetings - public website and direct email notices.

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Archaeological Advisory Council meeting, Ed Jones Auditorium Ellington Agricultural Center, 5105 Edmondson Pike, Nashville, Friday, January 21, 2005 - 2 P.M.

*Tennessee Code reads: "TITLE 11 NATURAL AREAS AND RECREATION : CHAPTER 6 ARCHAEOLOGY : 11-6-103. Archaeological advisory council" but the state's official website for it calls it the "Tennessee Archaeology Advisory Council".

** The Tennessee Sunshine Law, passed by the General Assembly in 1974, requires public notice of meetings of all government bodies whose action can affect public policy, and that all meetings of state, city and county government bodies be open to the public. On the TN Archaeological* Advisory Council's own website it states: For the agenda to this board's next meeting, please visit the Sunshine Notice. No notice of the TN Archaeology Advisory Council's January 2005 is given there. CORRECTION: 13jan05-agenda posted.

Resisting Exile in the 'Land of the Free': Indigenous Groundwork at Colonial Intersections

Indigenous Peoples represent holy places and sacred bonds to place in symbolic ways that constitute the borderlines of everyday knowledge, living, and experience in the present tense. Historical and ongoing colonization labors to encroach upon indigenous place-making, confiscate the properties in question, and exile Indigenous Peoples in an emotional and psychological deception represented as the "land of the free."

This panel concerned with indigenous ways of shaping and contesting place and space making will investigate how indigenous "groundwork" circulating in cultures of music, mass media communications, and everyday languages of decolonization and resistance mark boundaries that join and separate -- that write margins and mainstreams and create common ground. We might look, for instance, at how Indigenous Peoples are re writing globalization in ways that still claim the nation-state as an important and possibly democratic formation. We might explore how space can be understood in certain moments as colonized and in others as indigenized. We might interrogate how Natives and non Natives have negotiated various meanings for place in the commemoration of national memory -- in national parks, museums, and other sites of recollection and remembrance. Or, contemplating the dynamics of decolonization politics, we might investigate how culture functions as a crucial vehicle in processes that inscribe, embody, and contest place and space in Indigenous ways that expose the melancholy conditions of exile in the "land of the free."

CALL FOR PAPERS
Proposed panel for the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Studies Association

Groundwork: Space and Place in American Cultures
Washington, DC, November 3-6, 2005
Proposed panel title: "Resisting Exile in the 'Land of the Free':
Indigenous Groundwork at Colonial Intersections"
Deadline for submissions: Friday, January 21, 2004

By Monday, January 17, 2005, please submit a 250-word abstract and one page curriculum vita electronically to Tony Clark at tyeeme@uiuc.edu. You also may mail your submission to Tony Clark, American Indian Studies Program and the Native American House, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Nevada Street, MC 139, Urbana, Illinois 61801 3818.

Archaeological Advisory Council meeting agenda

Ed Jones Auditorium Ellington Agricultural Center
5105 Edmondson Pike, Nashville
Friday, January 21, 2005 - 2 P.M.

Introductions - Dr. Kevin Smith, vice chair

Reports By Members
  • University of Tennessee System - Dr. Jeff Chapman [Director, McClung Museum, Knoxville]
  • University of Memphis - Dr. David Dye
  • Middle Tennessee State University - Dr. Kevin Smith
  • Vanderbilt University - Dr. John Janusek
  • Native American Representatives
       - Leela Cross, Huntsville [East TN]
       - Patrick Cummins [Middle TN]
       - Russell E. Baugh, Nashville [West TN]
  • Amateur Archaeological Organizations [?] - Bill Swan, Signal Mountain
  • Public-at-Large - Susan Hollyday, Nashville
  • Tennessee Historical Commission - Hortense Cooper

Invited Comments by various Native American representatives

Report on State of the Division of Archaeology - Nick Fielder, State Archaeologist

New office space for DOA (really this time)
TDEC reorganization
Hot issues:
    • Discussion of Attorney General Opinion 05-005
    • Two Rivers Mound site or McCrosky site (40 SV 9)
    • Burial treatments: preservation or desecration?
    • Site acquisitions: Castalian Springs and Johnston Site

Open Discussion on Other Matters of Interest to the Council
Comments from the Public

The voter's right to know

ELECTORAL LAW - The Supreme Court directs the Election Commission to make information on candidates' criminal background, wealth and education available to the voters during elections.

THE holding of free and fair elections at regular intervals is essential for the survival of democracy. The degree of success of this process would, in turn, depend on the extent of awareness that voters have about the candidates. Their right to gain material information about the candidates is thus intrinsic to the democratic process. With the laws and rules governing the conduct of elections revealing a curious 'silence' on this aspect, the judiciary has now stepped in to initiate a significant electoral reform measure.

On May 2, [2002] a Supreme Court Bench ... upheld and modified a ... High Court order of November 2000 ... The High Court had held that in order to help voters to make the right choice, it was essential that a candidate's past should not be kept under wraps. The High Court had directed the Election Commission (E.C.) to secure certain types of information pertaining to each of the candidates contesting elections to Parliament and State legislatures and the parties they represent.

The High Court wanted the E.C. to reveal details relating to any candidate accused of an offence punishable with imprisonment; of assets possessed by him/her, spouse and dependants; of the candidate's competence, capacity and suitability for law-making, his/her educational qualifications; and the ability to judge the capacity and capability of the political party fielding the candidate.
...
The Supreme Court modified the High Court's judgment and directed the E.C. to reveal whether up to six months prior to filing of nomination, a candidate had been accused in any case that is pending, of any offence punishable with imprisonment up to two years or more, and in which charges have been framed or cognisance has been taken by a court of law.

This is preceded by a general requirement that the E.C. should reveal whether the candidate was convicted or acquitted of any criminal offence in the past, and whether he was punished with imprisonment or fine.

Will the mere knowledge of a candidate's criminal past dissuade a voter from voting in his favour? In its judgment, the Bench said: "The little man (the voter) may think over before making his choice of electing law breakers as law makers."

The Court's directive to the E.C. is not based on the assumption that at present voters are ignorant of candidates' criminal past. But it is hoped that official disclosure of information relating to candidate's criminal background would help those voters who intend to make a rational choice on the basis of facts. Even if there are only a few such rational voters, the law, as interpreted by the Court, could help them. The Court's order would only result in giving a choice to the voters, by making the process a little more transparent. According to observers, if the voters are determined to vote in favour of those with a criminal past, the E.C.'s move cannot influence their subjective decision, which could be based on various other factors.

The Supreme Court further modified the High Court's order to direct the E.C. to reveal details of assets - immovable and movable - of a candidate and of his/her spouse and dependants. The Supreme Court held that by implication, married sons and daughters of candidates or their parents could not be described as dependants. The Supreme Court also sought details of candidates' liabilities, if any, particularly whether there were any over- dues to any public financial institution or government dues.

THE Supreme Court nullified the High Court's directive to the E.C. to seek details to judge the capacity of a political party fielding the candidate. But the Court retained the directive relating to the educational qualifications of the candidate. The Court probably allowed this part of the High Court's order because the information being sought would not determine a candidate's eligibility to contest.

The Supreme Court has held that furnishing information relating to candidates was a necessary part of the nomination papers. It has asked the E.C. to draw up within two months the norms and modalities in order to carry out and give effect to its directions.