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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 1 November 2022

Ground search of Native American site in Kansas delayed

(AP) – A plan to search ety and the city of Fairway
for unmarked graves at a expect the Shawnee Tribe "I find that insinuation trou-
former Native American to try to persuade the Kan- bling," Barnes said. "We
boarding school in Kansas sas Legislature next year to have always been clear
is on hold amid a disagree- convey the land from the about our vision for the site.
ment between a Shawnee state to the Shawnee Na- Regardless of who owns
Tribe and state and city of- tion. it, it centers on protection
ficials overseeing the site. "The KHS is on record op- and restoration. To say
posing such a convey- otherwise is patently false,
The Kansas Historical Soci- ance due to its historical and they know it's patently
ety announced last year significance to Kansas not false."
that the Kansas Geologi- just while it operated as The move to inspect the
cal Survey at the University the manual labor training mission's grounds came af-
of Kansas would conduct a school but due to other ter the U.S. Department of
ground-penetrating radar events and time periods as Interior announced a na-
survey at the Shawnee In- they related to Kansas's his- tionwide initiative last year
dian Mission in Fairway. Indigenous children from tion had begun the process tory," Nogelmeier said. "Fur- to investigate federally
However, Fairway officials their families to assimilate of working with the universi- ther, Chief Barnes has not operated Indian board-
last week said the propos- them into white culture and ty on the ground-penetrat- made any commitments ing schools. That would not
al was on hold indefinitely Christianity. ing work. about what he and the have included the Shaw-
after Shawnee Tribe Chief "That's not consultation," Shawnee Nation view as nee Indian Manual Labor
Ben Barnes raised concerns Fairway City Administrator Barnes said. "Consultation is the future use of the land School, which was founded
that the tribe was not con- Nathan Nogelmeier said in a well-defined term. It's not if they become owners of in 1939 and run by Method-
sulted about the proposal a statement that the Kan- as I'm leaving stuff a piece the site." ist minister Thomas Johnson.
and future plans for the 12- sas Historical Society, which of paper into my hands." While acknowledging that
acre (4.86-hectare) site. owns the site, met with the tribe is not opposed to At one point, it had 16
The Shawnee Tribe pushed Barnes in August and of- Several experts told the conveyance, Barnes sug- buildings on about 2,000
last year for a study of the fered him the opportunity tribe the proposal was in- gested the state and Fair- acres (800 hectares) and
site, formerly known as the to consult before the work sufficient and didn't follow way officials are trying to nearly 200 students a year
Shawnee Indian Manual began. federal law concerning use the issue as a political who ranged in age from 5
Labor School. It was one On Monday, Barnes said consulting with tribes in ploy and the timing of last to 23. The current 12-acre
of hundreds of schools run that as he was leaving a such situations, Barnes said. week's statement raises (4.86-hectare) site currently
by the government and re- meeting at the historical so- questions about whether holds three buildings, which
ligious groups in the 1800s ciety he was given a short In his statement, Nogelmei- the tribe is welcome in the are on national and state
and 1900s that removed paper saying the organiza- er said the historical soci- process. historic registries.q

Hoopa Valley tribe sues over water contracts in California

(AP) — The Hoopa Valley the federal government di- Sherman-Warne, a mem- to concur over changes to a former Westlands lobby-
Tribe alleged in a lawsuit verting water. ber of the Hoopa tribal river flows, added require- ist, was interior secretary
Monday that the federal The suit alleges the U.S. De- council. ments for protecting fish in when the contract was ap-
government is violating its partment of the Interior has The suit also alleges that the Trinity River, and stated proved and a judge later
sovereignty and failing to failed to follow laws that re- the federal government any renewals of long-term declined to validate it. But
collect money from Cali- quire the contractors who has failed to appropriately water contracts had to fol- Westlands and the federal
fornia farms that rely on use that water to pay mon- consult with the tribe on low existing laws. government are still mov-
federally supplied water to ey for habitat restoration matters related to the river. At the end of the Obama ing forward with it, West-
pay for damages to tribal projects. It says those con- administration, Congress lands spokeswoman Shel-
fisheries. tractors owe $340 million for The Interior Department de- passed a law saying that ley Cartwright said.
environmental restoration clined to comment through any temporary federal The suit alleges the con-
The tribe, which has a res- work along the Trinity River spokesman Tyler Cherry. contracts for water could tract fails to include re-
ervation in northwest Cali- and other places that have be turned into perma- quirements for habitat res-
fornia, says in its lawsuit been damaged by water Since the 1950s, the Trin- nent ones. Previously, the toration payments. As Ber-
against the Biden adminis- diversions. ity River has been a ma- contracts had to be reap- nhardt left office, he wrote
tration that the Trinity River "The river has become a jor source of water for the proved on a regular basis. a memo agreeing with staff
that it relies on for food and place that is no longer a Central Valley Project, a recommendations that
cultural purposes has been healing place, but a place system of dams, reservoirs Westlands Water District, most environmental miti-
decimated by decades of that is a sick place," said Jill and canals that sends wa- the nation's largest agricul- gation work related to the
ter south to farmers who tural water district, was one Central Valley Project was
harvest fruits, nuts and of the contractors that con- complete.
other crops. Fish that swim verted its water contract to Daniel Cordalis, deputy so-
through the river include a permanent one. The new licitor for water resources
the coho salmon, which is agreement doesn't grant in Biden's Interior Depart-
listed as an endangered Westlands any additional ment, later rescinded that
species. Twelve miles of the water or promise that it will decision. But the tribes al-
river flow through the tribe's get everything in dry years, lege the money has still
reservation. but it effectively gives the not been paid. Cherry, the
district a right to water in interior spokesman, didn't
Congress updated laws perpetuity. respond to an email asking
governing the water proj- for the department's cur-
ect's operation in 1992. It The deal was controversial rent position on whether
gave the tribe some power because David Bernhardt, the work is done. q