American Indian Report - November/December 2008 - (Page 14)

Photo by John Rae/NYC reform. The commission’s two main objectives were to listen to the Osage people and to form a government that would be a product of the Osage people. After a series of community meetings, the tribe adopted its new released this way every year and, with no further constitution in June of 2006. help or support, many wind up going back. This does not bode well with a tribe that believes justice pine Hill Health center’s “mammo Days” should be restorative and that people, after paying Navajo Nation, Ramah Chapter, New Mexico In the Ramah area of the Navajo Nation, a comthe penalties for their actions, should be welcomed back into a community. In 2004, it passed legislation munity of approximately 4,000 traditional Navajos, establishing the Reintegration Program. The pro- there is difficulty accessing medical care beyond gram works with prisoners prior to release and dur- the basics offered at the local clinic. Because giving ing the reintegration process, providing assistance adequate attention to women’s health care is chalwith everything from jobs and housing to spiritual lenging, here breast cancer rates run high. In the needs. As a result of the program, recidivism is down early 2000s, less than 10 percent of Ramah women were receiving mamamong released Muscogee prisoners. mograms annually. In 2004, Ramah’s Pine Osage Nation Governmental reform Hill Health Center Osage Nation, Oklahoma In 1894, with the discovery of oil on Osage lands, addressed the issue the U.S. government illegally abolished the Osage’s by launching a series constitution and imposed a new political system. of “Mammo Days,” The tribe’s lands were divided among 2,229 feder- designed to encourally recognized citizens, and only those citizens and age groups of Navajo their heirs had the right to vote or to receive ben- women to overcome efits from the tribe’s mineral estate. A large portion the barriers to regular of the tribe was disenfranchised. In 2002, the tribal breast cancer screen- Photo by Eric Henson council established the Osage Government Reform ings. The program involves recruiting women to Initiative and, two years later, the Osage Reform participate, transportation to/from the screening Commission to lead the process of constitutional site, activities at the site so that the process be14 November/December 2008 American Indian Report http://www.osagetribe.com/uploads/OsageNationConstitution.pdf http://www.navajo.org http://www.osagetribe.com/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Indian Report - November/December 2008

American Indian Report - November/December 2008 Contents Notes from Indian Country Elders Conference Offers Balancing Lessons Student Blanket Design Reflects Plains Horse Culture Congress: Activity on the Hill Prep School Recruits Native Students for Transitional Year Prior to College Honoring Nations Clinton Global Initiative Brings Native American Focus to the World A Q&A with Indian Country’s Top Cop Urban Clinics Go Paperless with IHS Record System Ohkay Owingeh Restores Wetlands, Protects Drinking Water Blogroll

American Indian Report - November/December 2008

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