OPA

Federal supervision over the Ponca Indian Tribe of Nebraska has ended, the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced today. Notification of the action is being published in the Federal Register.

A tribal decision by the Nebraska Poncas in 1956 set the stage for the termination action. Petitions to Congress for appropriate legislation to end Federal supervision led to the 1962 termination law (P.L. 87-629) calling for establishment of a tribal roll and division of tribal assets, if division met with the approval of the majority of' adult tribal members.

The reservation lands of the Nebraska Poncas comprised 847 acres in the northeastern part of the State. Most of the 442 tribal members are off-reservation Indians, residing in Omaha and other urban communities. The tribal vote, following the provisions of the 1962 Congressional act, was overwhelmingly in favor of distribution of assets. The holdings were subsequently liquidated.

Termination of Federal supervision over the Nebraska Poncas brings a halt to special services hitherto provided them by the Federal Government because of their status as Indians. State services and laws, including tax laws, are now applicable to Ponca Indians as well as to other citizens under Nebraska's jurisdiction.

A related group of Poncas -- those residing in Oklahoma--are not affected by termination under Public Law 87-629. The Ponca Tribe of Native Americans of Nebraska organized in 1936 when a constitution and charter were adopted. The Oklahoma Poncas organized separately in 1950. Individuals formerly entitled to be enrolled in both tribes were permitted to retain membership in only one tribe when the Nebraska Ponca Tribal roll was prepared preliminary to termination.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Poncas are petitioners in a case pending before the Indian Claims Commission in which they are seeking fair payment for Ponca lands in Nebraska and South Dakota given to the Sioux under a treaty in 1859 between the United States and the Sioux, to which the Poncas were not party. Both the Oklahoma and the Nebraska Poncas may be recipients of an award, after a determination has been made by the Claims Commission of the amount of compensation due, if any.

An exhibit of Eskimo Graphic Arts and Sculpture will be on display in Washington's Department of the Interior Art Galleries beginning Tuesday, November 8 through December 31. Featured will be the work of Canadian Eskimos from the famed Cape Dorset area, located at the southern tip of Baffin Island. Stone-cut prints and a variety of small sculptures will be shown. Hours for the exhibit, sponsored by the Center for Arts of Indian America, will be from 10:00 a.m. to 4: 00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

According to the Center's president, Mrs. Stewart L. Udall, wife of the Interior Secretary, the showing will be the largest of its kind ever displayed in the Nation’s capitol. Over 300 individual pieces will be exhibited, one-of-a-kind designs that quickly become collector’s items. All items will be available for purchase, in prices ranging from $5 to $500. To satisfy the anticipated demand. for the art pieces as Christmas gifts, the Center will replace sold pieces at once with comparable ones direct from the Eskimo Fine Arts Association in Ottawa.

Included among the outstanding artists represented in the exhibit will be the works of Kanangenak, former president of the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative; Parr, a producer of drawings of birds, animals and people in a style that is so completely his own that critics have marveled at his source of inspiration; Kiahshuk, whose vivid memory is stored with pictures of the old days and the great hunts, and a young Eskimo mother, Kenojuak, noted for her poetic bird studies.

“Eskimo carvings have a great impact that draws attention, no matter who looks at them," says Edna Massey, Secretary of the Center, who has arranged the display. "A hunter’s arm is half-raised in greeting and the archer reveals more tension by his stance than his drawn bow; a mother-and-child piece establishes in the mind of the beholder a feeling of unity that is universal in its appeal; a carving of Nuliajuk, goddess of the seals, bespeaks benignantly to both man and animal, alike."

Mrs. Massey, who purchases American Indian Art for government buildings here and abroad, remarks that the same impact in fact holds true of the Cape Dorset prints, each a limited edition. To create them, the Eskimo first flattens and polishes a large slab of soapstone, upon which the design is transferred in a strong, simple statement quite similar to the carving technique. The stone is deeply inked with the design and then a sheet of fine paper is placed on the surface, and the image is transferred from the stone engraving to the paper by using a small tampon or with the fingers.

"Perhaps the most surprising thing about Eskimo Art,” says Edna Massey, “is that most all Eskimo adults who become interested in it take an active part in creating pleasing and highly salable work. The fat, bulging weight of walrus, the sleek strength of bears, and the primitive, honest directness of all Eskimo forms have charmed the museums, the art galleries and the public."

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall today gave $1,500 to Sidney M. Carney, Bureau of Indian Affairs, for sustained superior performance as a Federal employee.

Carney, a Choctaw Indian, is a special liaison representative with the Seneca Indian Nation at Salamanca, N.Y.

Carney was sent to help the Senecas in 1962 following the decision to take 10,000 acres of their land for a reservoir behind Kinzua Dam. Nationwide attention was focused on the tribe as it fought unsuccessfully through the courts to retain its lands. President Kennedy directed all Federal agencies to "take every action within their authority to assist the Seneca Nation and its members who must be relocated in adjusting to the new situation."

Carney helped the tribe plan a relocation program for the 133 displaced families and aided in developing a large-scale industrial plan and community housing program. Funds appropriated by Congress as compensation for the loss of reservation land helped finance these ventures.

Secretary Udall said much of Carney's effectiveness stemmed from his ability to "overcome long-standing prejudices" and to promote close cooperation between Indians and non-Indians and between the tribe and the many Federal, State, and local agencies involved in the rehabilitation program.

With Carney's assistance the Senecas have helped the city of Salamanca build a new high school for Indians and non-Indians, have constructed almost 200 new homes, have begun building the first factory in a new industrial park, have established an education foundation for tribal youth and adults alike, and have constructed modern community buildings on their Allegany and Cattaraugus Reservations in New York.

"As a Choctaw, endowed with a deep appreciation for self-government, your work with the Seneca Nation reflects the highest qualities of public service, I. Udall told Carney, and “has been of immeasurable assistance to the proud Seneca Nation now embarking on a new and challenging life."

Carney joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs in August 1957 as an administrative officer at Fort Defiance, Ariz. A native of Quinton, Okla., he was graduated from the Haskell Institute and has bachelor's and master's degrees from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife, Emma, have four children.

This is an important time in the history of Indian affairs, and this organization, the National Congress of American Indians, is in a good position to affect the future course of events.

Because this organization is comprised of Indian membership -- both tribal and individual -- it can and needs to become a source of great strength in the shaping of policies, programs and laws.

The Indian people of this continent have traditionally followed their own instincts and clung to their own convictions through trial and strife. It is for organizations such as this, made up of Indians, to foster the Indian spirit of independent thought. There is no need to fall into the pattern of racial agitation in order to attract attention. You already have the attention of this country. There is need, however, for some clear statements of principle, and for some constructive suggestions relating to Federal-Indian relations in the months and years immediately ahead.

First, there is the fact that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is no longer the one agency in Indian affairs. Congress has passed numerous laws in recent years providing a wide range of programs and services for all citizens, including Indians. These programs are geared to relieving adverse social and economic conditions among the poverty groups in our Nation. Indian people are now in a position where it becomes increasingly necessary to broaden their contacts and relations with other Federal agencies in order to take advantage of the new Federal aids.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and other active organizations in the Indian field have found themselves in a position where traditional roles have become obsolete and new ones must be created to enable them to serve Indian people most effectively.

The Bureau, in the past, has been both protagonist and antagonist in the eyes of Indian tribal groups. Now, with all the other sources of aid available, it should decrease its day-to-day involvement in tribal affairs. It should give way to a new role by tribal governments themselves a role in which the tribal governments Hill be the negotiators with Federal aid programs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, then, could become more of an advisory and coordinating agency for Federal assistance, rather than an administrating agency.

Recognition must be given to the fact that new authorities are needed in order to broaden opportunities for Indian people to improve their social and economic status.

Nothing is more important, in my estimation, than to accomplish a change in the policies and laws that are inhibiting the fullest development of Indian economic opportunity. This can be accomplished without jeopardy to existing protections now enjoyed by Indian people. I consider it my first obligation to the Indian people that such new legislation be formulated.

The major problems and needs thus far discussed in meetings with tribal representatives tend to fall into these general categories: low educational levels of reservation Indians, and need for expanded opportunities for children and adults to acquire education and training that will enable them to take their rightful place in the total national picture; sub-standard housing, and the need for more assistance in community planning and development; substandard living conditions, stemming from poverty, that need attention from health and sanitation workers; chronic unemployment and the need for greater business development on the reservations; and problems of heirship that create a stranglehold on land development.

The role of the National Congress of American Indians could become larger than it has been. It should become an organization respected throughout the Indian community and throughout the non-Indian community as the unified voice of the Indian people. Its great strength is yet to be reached and yet to be felt. It does not need to mimic anyone in order to attract attention. It needs, above all, to reflect the dignity, wisdom, and endurance that traditionally characterize the Indian people.

This is the time -- later may be too late -- to take a close look at NCAI's present role in Indian affairs and to make whatever changes in policy and procedure are necessary to ensure that its activities will accrue to the maximum benefit of the Indian people. As the voice of the Indian people, together, its force can be mighty. Let it be, then, an organization unified in its purposes, and let its purposes be toward constructive participation in Federal-Indian affairs.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs today announced the award of a $2,237,520 contract to construct new facilities at its Concho, Okla., elementary school. The school, originally established as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Boarding School in the late 1800's to serve two area tribes, now enrolls Indian students from a number of other tribes. Last year 162 students in grades 1-8 were enrolled.

The contract calls for replacement of several antiquated existing structures which have been abandoned for struct11ral or safety reasons. The academic building will include: 11-classrooms, a multipurpose room, an instructional materials center, classrooms for home economics, general science, and practical arts, plus administrative offices. Also included in the contract are a kitchen-dining hall, two 128-pupil dormitories, quarters for school employees, paving and site grading, water and sewerage extensions and related site work. The basement of the dining hall will be reinforced to serve as a tornado shelter.

Successful bidder was the Atlas Organization, Inc., and Barton Theater Co., a joint venture, of Oklahoma City, Okla. Seven higher bids were received, ranging upward to $2,338,000.

Dr. William J. Benham, a Creek Indian, has been named to head up the Bureau of Indian Affairs education programs on the Navajo Reservation. In this capacity, he will serve as one of three Assistant Area Directors for the Bureau's operations in the Navajo area.

Dr. Benham, a native of Holdenville, Okla., is a veteran of the Navajo education program. He joined the Bureau in 1950 and has served as both teacher and principal in various BIA schools for Navajo children. From 1963 until his recent reassignment he was Director of Schools for the Gallup Area Office.

A graduate of East Central State College in Oklahoma, Dr. Benham holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oklahoma.

Increased activity in almost every phase of Bureau operations on the Navajo Reservation brought about the establishment last December of a separate Navajo Area office at Window Rock, Ariz. Following are some recent developments in education on the reservation:

-- The Bureau of Indian Affairs awarded two contracts totaling more than $6.6 million to expand Sanostee School, which will serve 720 Navajo children, and to construction a new school to accommodate more than 500 in the eastern section of the reservation. At Kaibeto a new $5 million Bureau boarding school was dedicated.

-- New methods are being found to meet the unique educational needs of Indian students. Teaching English as a second language to Navajo-speaking youngsters is now a reservation-wide program.

-- The Navajo tribal council underscored the importance of education in tribal development with passage of a resolution reaffirming compulsory education for youths between the ages of 6 and 16. The council called upon parents, educators, and tribal courts to aid them in a campaign which has brought about a record enrollment of 19,827 children in reservation schools alone.

The popularity of the Eskimo Graphic Arts and Sculpture exhibit in the Department of the Interior's Art Galleries has brought about an extension of the hours and addition of more than a hundred additional new pieces of sculpture and eighty new prints, according to Mrs. Stewart L. Udall, president of the Center for Arts of Indian America, sponsoring the unusual display.

"We had no idea the showing would attract such crowds," said the wife of the Interior Secretary. "Now, in order that working people can see it, we're extending our hours from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays."

Visitors may enter the Department of the Interior Building through its "C" Street entrance, between 18th and 19th Streets, N. W. The gallery is on the seventh floor.

The work is that of Canadian Eskimos from the famed Cape Dorset area, located at the southern tip of Baffin Island. Stone-cut prints and a variety of small sculptures are featured. All items are available for purchase in prices ranging from $5 to $500. They are all one-of-a-kind originals, and Washington area shoppers have been buying them for their collections and for Christmas gifts.

The showing will continue in the gallery through December 31.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced the award of two contracts that will make on-the-job training available for 134 Indian workers.

A $65,375 contract was awarded to the First Seneca Corp. of New York State to train 124 Seneca Indians in occupations relating to the textile mill products industry. First Seneca is a corporation formed to promote industrial development on the two Seneca Reservations, in western New York. Most of the trainees will be employed as sewing machine operators and fitters in the production of pillows and other soft goods.

The corporation is the first industry to locate in the recently established Seneca industrial park on the Cattaraugus Reservation. Funds for economic development come from $12 million received by the Seneca Nation from the Federal Government in 1964 in payment for tribal lands flooded when Kinzua Dam was constructed on the Allegheny River. A program formulated by the Seneca Nation authorizes up to $2 million to be spent for industrial purposes to generate new employment opportunities for Seneca Indians.

A second contract, for $6,500, was awarded the Phillips Products Co., Inc., of Pryor, Okla., to provide on-the-job training for 10 area Indians. The trainees will prepare for occupations in the manufacturing and processing of plastics and plastic products.

Both contracts were negotiated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under its Employment Assistance program, which aids Indians in finding employment near their homes or in relocating where more jobs exist.

Robert L. Bennett, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, announced today that John H. Artichoker, Jr., Superintendent of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Agency, Lame Deer, Mont., has been named Superintendent of the Papago Agency, Sells, Ariz.

John R. "Bob" White, Superintendent of the Rocky Boy's Agency, Box Elder, Mont., will replace Artichoker at Lame Deer. Both transfers became effective November 27, 1966.

A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Artichoker, 36, was born at Pierre, S. Dak. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in education from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. He joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1962 as a Tribal Affairs Officer at Billings, Mont., after ten years as Director of Indian Education for the State of South Dakota.

Mr. Artichoker was chosen one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of 1964 by the National Junior Chamber of Commerce.

White, 54, was born in Spencer, Ind. and grew up on a homestead near Deaver, Wyo. He attended the University of Wyoming and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor in Minnesota, Colorado, and New Mexico before joining the Bureau as Assistant Superintendent of the Consolidated Ute Agency, Ignacio, Colo. in 1961.

At Sells, Artichoker succeeds Homer B. Jenkins, who recently was transferred to Palm Springs, Calif.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall will meet December 1 with 11 top management representatives of major industrial firms to discuss the potential for plant expansion and development on or near Indian reservations.

The luncheon meeting is the second such conference in Secretary Udall's drive to speed economic development and employment possibilities for Indians. In May the Secretary met with representatives of major electronic firms.

At the meeting background material will be presented on the location of plant sites, the availability and skills of Indian workers, training programs available to teach special skills and financing available for plant development.

The firms to be represented at the luncheon are: Motorola, Inc., Phoenix, Ariz.; Amphenol Corp., Chicago; Hoffman Electronics Corp., El Monte, Calif.; Litton Industries, Beverly Hills, Calif.; General Dynamics Corp., New York City; Honeywell, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.; Sperry Rand Corp., New York City; Johns-Manville Corp., New York City; Graflex, Inc., Rochester, N.Y.; General Instrument Corp., Newark, N.J.; Fairchild Semiconductor Division, Mountain View, Calif.

All 11 firms have indicated through preliminary inquiries an interest in exploring the possibility of expansion into an Indian area. Many reservations already have new industries in operation and employers have been enthusiastic about the skills and performance of Indian workers.