OPA

Three major exhibitions of Indian arts now being shown by museums administered by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the Department of the Interior were described today by Secretary Rogers C.B. Morton as “demonstrating the vitality of contemporary contributions to the arts by modern Indian people”

The Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko, Oklahoma, is presenting through September 14 the first historic survey to feature 43 paintings created during the past four decades by 42 outstanding Indian artists of the Southern Plains region.

The Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning, Montana, is exhibiting through September 30a collection of contemporary paintings by 44 Indian artists of." Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, the first extensive exhibition ever assembled of modern works by Indian artists from the three state area.

A collection of 78 contemporary quillworks by 28 Sioux craftsmen is on view at the Sioux Indian Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota. This comprehensive exhibition, which will continue through September 30, is the first presentation to document the variety and stature of this rare art form practiced by contemporary Sioux craftsman.

The use of porcupine quills for esthetic purposes is one of the most unique concepts in the arts of the North American Indian, according to Myles Libhart, Director of Museums for the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, who coordinated the exhibitions.

Contemporary Southern Plains Indian Painting first exhibition to document the varied development of modern Indian art.in the region. An 80 page catalog has been published in conjunction with the exhibition illustrating the 43 paintings in color along With photos and biographical sketches of the artists. Priced at $3.50, the, catalog is available from the Oklahoma Indian Arts and Crafts Cooperative, Box966, Anadarko, Oklahoma 73005, an Indian owned and operated organization.

The exhibition, Contemporary. Indian Artists, Montana- Wyoming- Idaho, is the most extensive exhibition ever organized of works by Indian artists who represent 13 tribes in the region. It reflects participation of the Plains Indians in the contemporary life of the American West • An 80 page catalog priced at $3.50 is available from the Tipi Shop,. Inc., Box 1270, Rapid City,' South Dakota 57701, a non-profit educational organization.

"Interior's interest in the arts begins with programs to recognize and promote Indian arts," Secretary Morton said. "These exhibitions are a striking illustration of the manner in which Indian artists and craftsmen are helping to broaden and enrich contemporary art in the United States."

The exhibitions were organized by the Indian Arts and Crafts 'Board, established by the Congress in 1935. The Board serves as an informational, promotional and advisory clearinghouse encouraging the development of outstanding contemporary Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut Artists. The Board administers and operates the three Museums which are presenting the exhibitions.

After the current showings, the exhibitions will begin a two year tour to other museums and galleries throughout the regions served by the 'Board's Museums .

Regulations have been issued to govern distribution of I $5,199,660.20 for the Miami Indians of Oklahoma and Indiana, Louis R. Bruce Commissioner of the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, announced today. The new regulations establish qualifications for enrollment and the deadline for filing applications to update the roll of Miami Indians prepared pursuant to a 1966 Act of Congress.

The money comes from settlement of Indian Claims Commission Dockets no. l24-C, -0, -E, -F, 131, 253, 255, and 256. Pursuant to the Act of Congress signed by President Nixon June 2, 1972, all persons of Miami Indian ancestry born on or prior to and living on the date of the Act, and whose names or the name of an ancestor appears on one of the following rolls, shall be entitled to share in the distribution of judgment funds awarded the Miami Indians of Oklahoma and Indiana:

Roll of Miami Indians of Oklahoma and Indiana prepared pursuant to the Act of October 14, 1966 (80 Stat. 909).

Roll of the Western Miami Tribe of Indians of June 12, 1891, prepared and completed pursuant to the Act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1000).

Roll of Miami Indians of Indiana of June 12, 1895.

Roll of "Miami Indians of Indiana, now living in Kansas, Quapaw Agency, I. T., and Oklahoma Territory".

Roll of Eel River Miami Tribe of Indians of May 27, 1889, prepared and completed pursuant to the Act of June 29, 1888 (25 Stat. 223).

Persons whose names appear the roll of Miami Indians of Oklahoma and Indiana prepared in 1966 will not be required to reapply for enrollment. They will, however, be required to furnish current information as to their whereabouts. Names of such enrollee’s who are not living on June 2, 1972, shall be deleted from the roll upon receipt of satisfactory proof of death.

Applications for enrollment may be obtained from and must be filed with the Area Director, Muskogee Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Muskogee, Oklahoma, 74401. They must be postmarked on or before midnight December 2, 1972.

Commissioner Louis R. Bruce of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs announced today that two highway construction contracts totaling nearly $7.6 million have been let by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for projects on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Indian Reservation.

One is a $5,344,476 contract funded jointly by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service for construction of an all-weather highway between Chinle, Ariz. and the Navajo Community College at Tsaile, and access to scenic overlooks within the Canyon de Chelly National Park at four locations. It involves 24.4 miles of bituminous surfaced highway and 5.3 miles of paved access roads. Low bidder was Wylie Brothers Contracting Company, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The other is a $2,253,358 contract for construction of 10.6 miles of bituminous surfaced highway and a 144.8 foot two-span bridge that will complete an all-weather highway between Window Rock, Ariz., seat of the Navajo Tribal government, and Interstate 40 at Lupton, Ariz. Construction will take place between Oak Springs and Lupton, Ariz. Low bidder was Armstrong and Armstrong, Roswell, New Mexico.

It is a great pleasure to be with you today. I bring greetings from Secretary of the Interior Rogers Morton and Commissioner of Indian Affairs Louis R. Bruce.

The Department of the Interior, on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, accepts with great pride the contract for the first Army Junior ROTC unit ever installed at an all-Indian high school.

Fort Sill Indian School, I am sure, is justly proud of this achievement and honor. The staff of this fine institution is aware of the importance ROTC can play in the life of this country.

ROTC training at Fort Sill will give to young Indians an opportunity to prepare for military service in at least two ways: It will make it possible for them to receive initial training toward becoming commissioned officers if they desire Army careers and it will give them valuable training that could prove highly important to them--and the Nation- - should some emergency arise.

By enrolling in the Junior ROTC, students here help prepare themselves for such Army officer-producing institutions as West Point, Senior ROTC schools, and officer candidate schools.

The Army Junior ROTC came to Fort Sill High School because the Indian teachers, parents, and students here wanted a ROTC unit.

Indian Tribes represented by the students in this area - - the Fort Sill Apache, Kiowa, Comanche, Caddo, Delaware, and Wichita -- have a great history of outstanding "achievements for Indian people and their country.

The Department of the Interior is pleased to note that the active Army instructors for Fort Sill’s Junior ROTC will be American Indians. We believe this bodes well for the success of the program.

That policy is in line with President Nixon's self-determination .program for American Indians. Indian leaders today seek their own paths of development and achievement. They are leading into an age that will be largely determined by them.

They are following a self-determination policy President Nixon stressed in a special message to the Congress on July 8, 1970, when he called for a “new era in which the Indian future is determined by Indian acts and Indian decisions.”

A very significant part of the new Bureau of Indian Affairs program calls for more Indian control of education programs. For Indian education programs to become truly responsive to the needs of Indian children and parents, control of education programs must be in the hands of Indian communities.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is moving fast toward achievement of that goal. Now - - in 1972 -- BIA has 15 Federal schools controlled by Indian corporations, 75 other educational programs operated by tribal groups, 3 reservation junior colleges controlled by Indians, and 200 BIA schools with Indian advisory school boards or education committees.
In the last two years education funds in the Bureau of Indian Affairs increased by nearly $20 million, making available $174 million in the 1972 budget for Indian education programs.

The amount of money available for Indian scholarships has increased five times in the past four years, rising from $3 million in 1968 to more than $15 million in 1972.

Students who enroll in the Junior ROTC program at Fort Sill High School can qualify themselves better to compete for four-year Army ROTC scholarships that are worth about $10,000 over a four-year period at colleges and universities which have Senior ROTC programs.

The Department of the Army has found that a large number of four-year scholarship winners are students who availed themselves of the privilege to participate in Junior ROTC programs. The Junior ROTC is an integral part of our Nation's strength. It helps prepare young people for military duties they may have to assume in a national emergency. While America is a peaceful country and does not covet the territory of any other Nation, it must keep its defense forces in a state of readiness.

President Nixon has underscored the need for the United States to maintain a strong defense posture. Only recently, he said that he has found it does not pay to deal from weakness when you sit across the bargaining table from the great powers of the world.

Americas Indian people have always responded to the defense needs of their country. Since World War I their young men have served in our served forces with honor and distinction.

The highest United States military honor -- the Congressional Medal of Honor -- is given for military heroism “above and beyond the call of duty. Three American Indians have received that honor. 'They are Jack C. Montgomery a Cherokee, and Ernest Childers, a Creek, who served in World War II and Mitchell Red Cloud, a Winnebago from Wisconsin, who served in Korea.

Mr. Childers retired from the army and is now serving with the Department of the Interior’s Job Corps program.

Many of you, I am sure, are familiar with one of the most brilliant tactics devised by the U. S. forces to confuse the enemy in World War II when an American Indian language was used as a “code” for sending radio messages in the Pacific Theatre of operations.

The code was highly sophisticated use of the language and dialects of the Navajo Indian tribe, practically an unknown tongue at that time.

Ordinary codes used by the military were considered obsolete within 24 hours, but the Navajo “code” was so effective that it remained unbroken throughout the war and the story of its use was a hidden chapter in military history until V-J Day.

Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent, wrote about the project as one of those primarily responsible for the victory in Japan. Noting the success of the code in confusing the enemy, Pyle said “practically nobody in the world understands Navajo except another Navajo.”

Indians are subject to the same laws and requirements for military service as all other citizens.

In World War I, more than 8, 000 served in the Army and Navy, 6, 000 by voluntary enlistment. This great demonstration of patriotism was a significant factor in bringing passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. In World War II, 25,000 Indian men and women served in the Armed Forces.

You can readily see that America knows it can count on its Indian people for prompt response to defense needs of their country.

I congratulate the Fort Sill Indian School for installing an Army Junior ROTC Unit. I am sure both the school and Nation will benefit from this development.

Thank you.

Commissioner Louis R. Bruce of the Department of the Interiors Bureau of Indian Affairs today announced that the United States Army has installed the first Army Junior ROTC unit at an all-Indian school at Fort Sill Indian School, Lawton, Oklahoma. The ceremony was held in the gymnasium of the Fort Sill School at 10 a. m., CDT.

Fort Sill Indian School has an enrollment of about 300 students, of whom about 125 are boys. Indian tribes represented include the Fort Sill Apache, Kiowa, Comanche, Caddo, Delaware, and Wichita, all southern Oklahoma groups.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of the Interior were represented by William L. Rogers, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Land Management. Lieutenant General Patrick F. Cassidy, Fifth U.S. Army Commanding General, presented the Army Junior ROTC contract to Eddie Lara, President, Fort Sill Indian School Board, a Kiowa Indian and an Army veteran of the Korean War.

Both the invocation and benediction for the ceremony were delivered in Indian languages by prominent religious leaders of various Oklahoma' Indian tribes. Master of Ceremonies was Jack B. Williams, Superintendent.

Master Sergeant Jimmie R. Holder, a Delaware Indian with more than 18 years active Army service and senior enlisted instructor of the new Junior ROTC unit, was present at the ceremony.

Leroy W. Chief, 35, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux. Tribe from: Pine Ridge, S. D., has been named Superintendent of the bureaus of Indian Affairs Wahpeton Indian School, Wahpeton, N. D., Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of Indian Affairs announced today. Chief replaces Joseph Wellington, who retired after 17 as superintendent at Wahpeton School.

Chief began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1960 as an elementary teacher at the Standing Rock Agency, Ft. Yates, N. D. Most recently, Chief has been serving as an Education Specialist at the Aberdeen, S. D. Area Office.

A member of the Association of Indian Educators, Chief received a E, S. degree in Education from the University of North Dakota in 1962, and completed his M. E. degree in Elementary Education Administration the summer of 1972. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in the field if Education by the University of North Dakota.

“We feel fortunate to have a man with the qualifications of Mr. Chief to assume the post of Superintendent of Wahpeton Indian School” Commissioner Bruce indicated. “He has the academic background and the experience in Indian education to make a real contribution. "

Chief is married and the father of two sons.

Francis E. Briscoe, 54, an enrolled member of the Caddo Indian Tribe from Anadarko, Okla., has been named Area Director for Administration in the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Area Office, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Louis R. Bruce announced today. Briscoe replaces Doyce Waldrip, who has been named Assistant Area Director for Economic Development in the Portland Area.

Briscoe began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1949, serving as a clerk-typist in the Central Office, Washington, D. C. Since then he has held positions of increasing responsibility in BIA installations in Minneapolis, Minn., Aberdeen, S. D.!, Albuquerque, N. M. From 1955 to 1964, he served in Washington, D. C. as an accountant, supervisory accountant and financial manager. He moves to his new position from Aberdeen, S. D., where he was Assistant Area Director for Administration.

Briscoe is a graduate of Oklahoma University, Norman, Okla. with a B.B.S. in Business Administration. From 1940-1945, he served in Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany as part of the 45th Division (Thunderbirds) of the U. S. Army.

“Mr. Briscoe has had well-rounded experience for the post he is assuming, II said Commissioner Bruce. “ I know he will put his knowledge of administration and of the Bureau to its best use in Portland.” Briscoe is married to the former Bonnie Lee.

Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, announced today that two 26 inch by 36 inch maps of Indian country are now available to the public through the Superintendent of Documents. The maps are: "Indian Land Areas: General” and “Indian Land Areas: Industrial".

“We believe these maps will be invaluable to tourists that are interested in visiting Indian reservations and Indian communities, and to business people with an eye to enlarging their operations to encompass Indian reservations," said the Commissioner.

"Indian Land Areas: General" shows Federal Indian Reservations in chrome yellow. In addition it includes an outline of former Indian reservations in Oklahoma (the Indian tribal population has tended to remain within those general boundaries), existing and planned tourist complexes on Indian lands , interstate highways (they take a traveler to Indian lands and communities), National Forests (where a traveler might wish to camp) , National Parks and Monuments and National Wildlife Refuges (often of interest to a tourist to Indian lands and communities), State Indian reservations, Indian groups without trust land, and federally terminated tribes and groups. A comparable map published in 1965 shows merely Federal reservations.

"Indian Land Areas Industrial" also shows Federal Indian Reservations in chrome yellow and an outline of former Indian reservations in Oklahoma. In addition it indicates industrial parks, airstrips and airports, and interstate highways.

The "Indian Land Areas: General" can be combined with another Bureau of Indian Affairs publication soon to be available from the Superintendent of Documents for a comprehensive picture of Indian affairs as they are today. This second publication is entitled "American and Their Federal Relationship". It list all Indian tribes for which the Bureau of Indian Affairs services in recent years, those recognized only for claims purposes, and certain other categories.

The basic listing of the tribes is by State. Throughout the booklet a code number· follows the l1ame of each Indian group. This number indicates the status of each as of March 1972. A map code number precedes the names of some of the groups listed in this booklet and are keyed to "Indian Land Areas: General".

"Indian Land Areas" General!' and "Indian Land Areas: Industrial" can be ordered for 35 cents each from: Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. c. 20242. "American Indians and Their Federal Relationship" can be ordered for 30 cents from Superintendent of Documents.

The Salt River Indian Community, near Phoenix, Ariz., was awarded the Meritorious Program Award of the American Institute of Planners Sunday, October 8 during the annual conference of the Institute at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel in Boston, Mass. The award is for the social planning the Indian community has developed over a five year period. This will be the first time in the history of the Institute's award program that the award has gone to an Indian community.

Receiving the award was Paul Smith, President, and Salt River Indian Community. He was accompanied by Garnet Gates, the Community's Vice President, and Vivian Andrews, Executive secretary. The award was I presented by Darn C. McGrath Jr., Institute President.

Awards were also given Metro Center, Baltimore, and the Twin Cities -- Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Indian community was nominated for the award by the Desert Southwest Chapter of the American Institute of Planners.

The citation that accompanied the award reads:

Whereas the Pima and Maricopa peoples who compromise the salt River Indian Community of approximately 2,000 persons on 49,000 acres of land near Scottsdale, Ariz., recognizing their economic difficulties, the increasing urbanization surrounding that their land was literally their only resource, I have initiated the first major planning program of its kind, and

Whereas, the Community, recognizing the need to retain its own identity, while producing a planning program which will enable it to improve its facilities, services and economic position has involved over 90 percent of its citizens directly, in the planning process, so that for the first time a plan has been created for an Indian community by an Indian community, and

Whereas the planning program has developed since 1967 such elements as creation of citizen participation, the development of a general plan, and the evolution of effective administrative guides for implementation, including capital improvement programming, and Whereas, through its planning efforts the Salt River Indian Community has made such measurable improvements as the adoption of a new Constitution, the hiring of paid-professional administrative personnel. a major decrease in unemployment, new educational programs, the construction of an industrial park, the adoption of zoning regulations and the improvement of its housing stock to the point where housing is now adequate for 30 percent of its families, and

Whereas, the Salt River Indian Community has set a record of its accomplishment in planning and management unpatrolled for any effort of its kind, one which can only be viewed with humility by those whose initial resources are so much greater, an example of resourcefulness and courage.

Now, be it therefore resolved by the Board of Governor of the American Institute of Planners that the.

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Be presented with a Meritorious Program Award in the category of social responsibility by this Institute.

During a return visit to England King Charles I asked William Penn how he was going to gain possession of the Indian lands. Penn replied, "I will buy them."

"But how can you," asked the king, "When you have already bought them from me?"

Penn answered simply, "I bought them from you, but not because they were yours.... "

Today, almost two centuries later we are celebrating the extension of Penn's insight and belief that the land and heritage of the new world belonged to the Indians -- the first Americans.

It is as "first Americans" that we are commemorating the removal of the great and little Osage from Kansas to these great lands in the Oklahoma Territory.

It goes without saying that when the federal government made arrangements for the Osage Tribe to purchase almost a million and a half acres from the Cherokee Nation at a cost of seventy cents an acre -- the Osage got more than fair value. And that was before the consumer movement!

From the days when Father Marquette, the great Jesuit missionary first explored the Missouri River Valley, the Osage have exercised a great role in the development of this land and of our America.

Years afterwards, when Washington Irving toured the great pra1r1e lands of our growing nation he wrote, "They have fine Roman countenances, and broad deep chests: and, as they generally wore their blankets wrapped around their loins, so as to leave the bust and arms bare, they look like so many noble bronze figures. The Osages are the finest looking Indians I have ever seen in the 'West."

The Osage share a rich heritage as one of the leading tribes in -the mainstream of Indian history.

As early as 1725 a party of Osage were received by the King of France -­ and were among the first Indians to go abroad… from the New World to the Old.

The progress and vitality of the Osage is the result of the sensibility and strength, wisdom and pride that is at the very center of your tribal heritage. It is also the result of the great legacy of spirited and inspirational leadership that your chiefs and tribal chairmen have left you and the generation of Osage that will continue these traditions.

These great men like, Ne-kah-wah-she-tun-kah, James and Peter Bigheart, Paul Red Eagle, Fred Lookout, Paul Pitts and Chief Bacon Rind will be honored as long as the Osage are on this land.

In the last hundred years these lands have become as much a part of the Osage Tribe, and as vital to your heritage as your language and your traditions.

This land is beautiful, and it is bountiful and rich, and has done much to make the Osage Tribe one of the leading Indian nations’, in the world. But more important than that, the Osages have growth with this land, and you and your leaders have grown in stature, and wisdom and maturity during the last century -- because of your reverence for the integrity of the land.

This regard, this respect for the earth is something that not only other tribes -- but all Americans can learn from you.

There have been a lot of changes in the last hundred years.

The American Indian has struggled during the last century with the meaning of his identity, and the role of his tribe in American society.

Already this awakening has led the tribes of America into a new era of understanding, of prosperity, of hope.

The American Indian has awakened and is on the way to a new era.

America's Indians have learned that you cannot go back -- you can only look back.

The Osage can be proud to have been at the forefront of that era of prosperity and hope.

You and the members of your tribe have reason to be proud because your tribe as much as any in America is passing through a new threshold of self-determination.

In the last four years we in the federal government have done much to bring to reality President Nixon's commitment "to a new era in which the future of American Indians is determined by Indian acts and Indian decisions."

Since 1969, for example, we have doubled BIA funding from $249 million to over $530 million, and have increased Indian funding from other federal agencies, like BUD, OEO, EDA, HEW, and Labor by nearly as much.

I have worked with Secretary Morton and Indian tribal leaders to bring out their funding priorities in consultation with us. I am proud to say that we have acted on those priorities.

We have made great strides in education. In the last two years alone, for example, we have increased funding for Indian education by almost $20 million. And today all 200 BIA schools have Indian advisory boards or education committees. We are also pursuing a vigorous scholarship program to help build the new Indian leaders of the future.

Today a majority of the top BIA executive positions at the Washington level are filled by Indians; and the number 6f Indians serving as BIA area directors has risen from lout of 11, to 7 out of a possible 12.

We are especially proud of our actions to restore 48,000 acres of the sacred Blue Lake area to the Taos Indians, as well as our, efforts to return lands to the Yakima Indians in Washington State.

The tribes of America are also making great strides in achieving economic independence. Our efforts through the Indian Business Development Fund are already bringing new prosperity to Indian lands, as well as assisting Indians to safeguard their own rights as well as develop them.

There is no question about it American Indians are entering a new era. We in government have learned from you, and as President Nixon has said many times, the future of the first Americans cannot be entrusted to anyone other than themselves.

That is what he meant when he established a goal of Indian "self-determination." We will not cease until that goal is achieved.

I would like to conclude with a few words directed to the young Osage men and women here.

First of all I must admit to you that I envy you each. I envy you for two reasons. First because you are young, and second because you are Osage, and are heirs of a great and stirring legacy of a rich tribal culture and tradition.

I know that each of you are filled with the special excitement of youth. You are looking forward to creating new relationships, of learning new things, and making new achievements.

Many of you will be leaving Oklahoma -- perhaps to join the Armed Forces, or to go to school. Some of you may not return and will seek a new home elsewhere.

Some of you have learned the Osage language at the weekly classes at Pawhuska and many of you are keeping alive Osage tradition and culture and your ceremonial dances.

If I can leave you with one thought it is that you must always be proud of this heritage. No matter how intense the pressures are that you encounter, do not deny this great legacy -- your birthright as an Osage.

To those of you who are younger and who are still formulating your education goals for the future I urge you to commit yourself to keeping these traditions alive.

Much has happened in the last century. This is a great day for Oklahoma and for the Osage, and particularly for those remaining living original Osage allottees, whom we particularly honor today.

It is an even greater day for America. Thank you.