Editorial And
Opinion Page
' AS I SEE IT I
Bruce Barton
I call on Lumbee SDC to change
p >? o
location of swearing in of tribal
council & chairman to a niore
historic & symbolic plaqe
It would be like if a proselyte went to Hell to receive salvation,
or the NAACP announced intentions to hold.tjie nextjannual meeting
in Pembroke, or the Highlander Scots cried out mat their next
gathering would be on the campus ofR.B. Dean ScfiUol in Maxton.
It could also be comparable to the Klan holding a membership
rally on the steps of Old Main on the UNC-Pembroke campus. It
just blows my historic sense of things away. Come on, Lumbee
Self-Determination Commission, give Indian people a break, change
the location of the swearing in of the tribal council and chair to a
more historic and symbolic place.
There are many places I can think of that might be more historically
relevant such as the banks of the Lumbee River anywhere
in Robeson County, or the open plains of the North Carolina
Indian Cultural Center, especially the Adolph L. Dial
Amphitheatre where the Strike at the Wind! Outdoor Drama is
performed every summer. Old Main, the Indian Education Resource
Center (formerly the Pembroke "Indian" High School building)
or countless other places that have a nice and melodic "Indian"
ring to it, would be appropriate. We must always keep our
symbols aligned properly with the heavens. If not, it will cause
many of us (Indians) to smirk and deflate our historic bosums.
Another possibility is the Family Life Center at Harper's Ferry
Baptist Church if some of my Indian brothers and sisters are suffering
from the occasional anti-Pembroke sentiment that affects
some of us unduly from time to time. This building will hold in
excess of 500 people, the anticipated audience at the swearing in
ceremony.
One member of the LSDC told me they chose to have the
swearing in at the Southeastern Regional Agricultural Center/
Farmer's Market out on Highway 74 (on the other side of
Lumberton) because they were expecting a big crowd, and they
needed to be able to have logistical room to serve hors d'oeuvres
(That's French for "fancy food.")
For me personally, I'll forgo the hors d'oevres if the organizers
will move this historic event to a more appropriate historic
setting. I'd rather have col lards and fatback anyway. And that
would be more historic and appropriate too Amen!
Anyway, according to what I read in the local newspapers, the
swearing in of the tribal counicl and chairman will be held at the
Southeastern Regional Agricultural Center/Farmer's Market on
January 13, unless we come to our historic senses. The only
thing I can think of that is symbolic or historic, in relation to this
proposed location, is the possibility that there might be corn or
cucumbers as part of the hors d'oeuvres while the historic event
is taking place.
Again, I call upon the executive committee of the Lumbee
Self-Determination Commission to come to their historic senses,
and move the swearing in ceremonies to a more appropriate and
historic place. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I. 1
Letter to the Editor
Tribal Election Raises Many
Questions Prior to Installation
Dear Ms. Connee;
The arrival of a new year brings
with it a cornucopia of emotions with
regard to the deterioration of the electoral
process. Never before have 1
been so engrossed by such disregard
for the system that we so casually call
democracy. To say the least the presidential
election set precedent for an
"era of decadence, but 1 wonder if this
so called tribal election didn't set the
tone.
Since March 1999. our supposed
Lumbee leadership has sought the
assistance of the courts of the state to
help in resolving the conflict between
LRDA and the Lumbee Tribal Council.
It would seem that given the fact
that we are a sovereign people, we do
not possess the inherent thinking ability
to keep Indian business, in Indian
circles. Only the "great white hope"
can give advice that our so-called
leadership will adhere to. We, like
our black counterparts, are sold out
by the same mentalities of the Uncle
Toms during the slavery era; "yaz urn
massa". In the matter of the decision
and order of the Honorable Judge
Howafd Manning, he felt it in OUR
best interest to establish an unbiased
group of Lumbee people that could
seek answers to what had been the
proverbial mystery to every tribal
member, is it LRDA or Tribal Council.
Needless to say this illustrious
group concurs with the same
"delusionaries" that still believe that
Columbus discovered America.
All I read is that we have just
experienced our FIRST tribal election.
I can almost guarantee that many,
if not all, of these people speaking
about FIRST, voted in what was our
first election in July 1994, but because
the Honorable Manning ruled
it moot, then with his ruling came
Season's Greetings
This is a season greeting going
out to my uncle Kenneth Ray
Locklear.. Happy New Year and
wishing you the best I can. / miss
you like crazy! Until I see you
again Loving and Missing You.
Love You,
Kandra Locklear & Family
? ?
cases of subservient amnesia. The
judge threw it out. and the> threw it in
the lake of forgetfulness. 1 was a
member of the FIRST constitutional
assembly, and the only reason we
have no constitution now is because
our FIRST elected leaders chose to
put it before the honorable judge's
chopping block where he could give it
that FIRST & FATAL blow. Tribal
Council, thanks for nothing!
I was involved in both the constitutional
and governmental elections.
To say the least, this LAST election
left a lot to be desired. There were so
many procedural discrepancies that
to try to name them all would take up
too much of our time and too much
Ms. Connee's paper: candidates seated
at polling areas, ballots lying out for
anyone, etc. By far, this was no immaculate
election as some would have
you believe. Another question, what
did we do? Are we to believe that we
have elected a tribal government,
when as I see it, my ballot asked did
we want tribal government, and if
constitutional, then how long would
we allow our elected body to draft it?
As 1 see we have succeeded in electing
our SECOND constitutional
assembly. Nowhere on the ballot did
it refer to this body as government.
But, we now have before us a
group of people elected by little more
than 9,000 people, when in 1994, we
did the same with over 8,400 rendered
moot by the courts. It's hard to
understand how we as "sovereign"
people place the futures of our generations
in the hands of non-Indians.
In Judge Manning's MEMORANDUM
OF DECISION AND ORDER,
PG. 16 article 10: "any outside interference
with the activities of the LSDC
shall not be tolerated. To this end, this
Court for the purposes of enforcing
and protecting the Lumbee Peoples
right to self determination in sfclfgovernment.."
So now we understand
why every act of authority by the
LSDC was preceded by those infamous
words "the judge said". Those
words when spoken by LSDC tell the
listeners that what's coming out of
theirmouths is gospel, cause the judge
says so. Where then is sovereignty?
Where is SELF? Has there been any
SELF-ANYTHING without your
honor's permission? Has the Honorable
Judge Manning certified an
election, that had no written protocol,
and if so why was it not av ailable at
each polling site? This election that
was ordered by the Court of North
Carolina should have been held within
the dictates of the electoral procedures
of the Sate of North Carolina,
because as your Honorable Judge
Manning so stated, the court retained
jurisdiction over this matter, and as a
duly sworn serv ant of the court, his
position is to uphold the law. not
amend it. In his certification of this
election, he ignores the electoral procedures
established by the court
system of which he is bound to pro
tect. hound, but not that bound
Nonetheless, wemoveon because the
jusdge sa>s so. After everything I
hope this matter will be over, but just
as sure as grits are grocers, it won't
be.
Be that as it may we are now to
attend the swearing in ceremony of
the FIRST tribal government, and
where would you suppose it would be.
Not in what is symbolically known as
Indian country, no we are going back
to l.umberton. for yet another performance.
Our pow-wow moved for
tourism, do you think that this ceremony
will take the ranks as a tourist
attraction? If so I w ould suggest that
they do likewise and charge admission.
To see w hat is suppose to be our
formal leadership standing on cold
concrete that houses agricultural
products, before an audience sends
shivers dow n my spine of how people
were sold into slavery . WE are nowbound
by court orders rather than
shackles. God help us everyone.
Wendy Moore
Prosnect
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Public Hearing
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Raleigh? The North Carolina
Department of Transportation
(NCDOT) will hold a public hearing
for the proposed bridge replacement
over Lumbee River on McNeil Bridge
, Road in Robeson County.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday,
Jan., 18, 2001, at 7 p.m. in the
O.P. Owens Agriculture Center Auditorium,
455 Caton Road,
Lumberton.
Representatives from NCDOT
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