Published Every Thursday in Pembroke, NC uncp"'lve"nofe library
"CAROLINA INDIAN TuiCi:
"Building Communicative Bridges in a Tri-Racial Setting"
\ -P ' '
i
VOLUME: 29 NUMBER 6 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2002 25c Per Copy
LRDA Awarded Rehab
Grant for $443,710.00
Lumbee Regional Development
Association has been awarded a
$443.710.00 grant from the North
Carolina Housing Finance Agency
to implement a Single-Family Rehabilitation
Repair Program The
grant was announced to the Board
of directors of LRDA on January
24th
"The award of 443.710 was more
than LRDA expected to be funded,
if it was to be funded at all," said
Mr Dewey Locklcar, Executive Director
LRDA had requested a
grant of $500,000 from the NC
Housing Finance Agency in September
under its Request for Proposals
for the Single-Family Rcliab
Grant Program
Locklcar stated that "It is unusual
for an organization to get most of
what it asks for in such a grant
request If s ou gel half you have
to be pleased This makes us vers
excited about future relations with
the NC Housing Fiance Agency
since we have demonstrated the
capacity to do a project of lus magnitude
They have a host of other
programs we plan to apply for "
According to the grand award letter
from the Housing Finance
Agency the Single-Family Rehab
Program attracts applications from
a broad variety of housing providers
across the state. Fortythree
applications were received
with funding requests totaling
over $12 million Twcnty-tlircc or
gam/.ations were approved for
funding "Success in tins competition
reflects the need for housing
rehabilitation in your service
area and perhaps more importantly,
your organization s commitment
and capacity to meet that
need For that we congratulate
you." w rote A Robert Kucab. Executive
Director of the Housing
Finance Agency
LRD A will hav e to attend several
workshops in March on the program
procedures and reporting to
be conducted by the Housing Finance
Agency in Raleigh before
services begin This is the largest
grant for rehab received by any
Indian organization in North Caro
Inia in the history of the Housing
Finance Agency
Mr Lcroy Freeman. Chairman of
LRDA. received the news of the
award with great satisfaction He
stated. "This will allow LRD A to
continue a serv ice that is one of
the greatest needs in Robeson
County Poor housing conditions
lead to income drain on poor families
due to energy efficiency
losses and more payout to ptility
prov iders. Tliis program will allow
for repairs to homes that will le;id
to increased home v alues and sav ing
in heating and cooling costs
in the long term." he continued
For the elderly on fixed incomes
this vv ill be a bicssing that is definitely
needed "
White Hill Baptist Church Food
Distribution Successful
By Vinita Maynor Clark
This past Saturday many people
discovered White Hill Baptist Church,
their caring and compassionate members
regardless of their age who began
giving out boxes of food in the early
hours of the morning and did not finish
until the last box of food was passed out
before noon The public as a whole
were honestly surprised at the over
packed boxes of food that contained
enough for several meals Very few
people walked away with just one box
Also, noted was the precision and
dedication of those who were in charge
"1 had never been to White Hill before,"
stated a person in line "The only two
things that 1 knew about it was that
when they have a Gospel Singing, you
can hear them all the way down the
highway and that this is where Polly
Lowric, the daughter of Henry Berry
Lowrie is buried " One lady from the
church invited everyone to come
back on Sunday Then the crowd
replied "what time does it start?"
"This sure does make up for
the Christmas Basket that I did not
get I know some people that could
take lessons from these people"
stated an elderly lady of the Lumbee
tribe. The boxes included fresh pork
sausage, fruit cups, cherries, flour,
instant potatoes, cannedjuiccs, cooking
oil, trail mix, canned vegetables,
sweet potato pies and other items
There were no dented cans, or bruised
food no missing labels and nothing
past the expiration date was given
out.
By noon, the last box was
given out with the count being more
than 500. Several churches had applied,
to receive this food from the
USDA which is distributed to tribal
governments and churches. However,
there was a conflict over who
would oversee the different distribution
areas. The members of
White Hill Baptist Church operated
like a tine oiled machine and only
took one break the entire morning
Members of the church assisted
many who could not carry the
packed boxes and the handicapped
and disabled.
At tlie end of the day, when
the members finally got the opportunity
to sit down, many reflected on
how they had spent this day in a
positive manner and that it made
them feel good inside.
There should definitely be
more people like the members of
White Hill Baptist Church.
Anniversary
of James & Rev.
Tessie Blue
You are invited to attend the 56
Anniversary of James (deceased)
& Rev. Tessie Blue. Sunday, February
24. 2002 at their home in
Rayham. N.C. at 2:00 p.m.
We will have free food. We will
have a drawing for a bicycle, pillows.
bedspread and big pig.
An airplane will drop Rev.
Tessie's gifts from the air at her
home at 2:00 p.m. "Come on out
and enjoy the food and bring your
whole family."
Everyone is invited.
Carolina Indian Voice
521-2826
Third Annual Taste of Robeson
On February 26, 2002 the Literacy Department at the Robeson
County Church and Community Center will be hosting its third annual
Taste of Robeson. It is a food tasting frenzy featuring restaurants
from all over Robeson County. This event will take place from 5:30 to
7:30 pm at the Southeastern Agricultural Center located on HWY 74
East. Adult tickets are S5.00 and children under 10 are $3.00. A silent
auction will also take place and all proceeds will go to benefit the
literacy programs at the Robeson County Church and Community
Center.
'Of Ebony Embers' Shows
at UNCP, Sandhills
Pembroke, N. C.- Performances of the music theatre production
"Of Ebony Embers" will be staged at UNCP and Sandhills Community
College.
The UNCP show will be Wednesday, February 13 at 10:15 a.m. in
Moore Hall. The Sandhills show will be Tuesday, February 12 at 7
p.m. in Blue Hall.
Both performances are free and a part of the celebration of Black
History Month. The production consists of a solo actor and a chamber
music trio. "Of Ebony Embers" explores the lives and works of three
outstanding but very different African-American poets with a musical
backdrop.
Poets- Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay, all
central figures in the African American artistic explosion in the 1930s
known as the Harlem Renaissance- are seen through the eyes of painter
Aaron Douglas.
Nationally known actor Akin Babatunde portrays Douglas. He is
known for his work on the Public Television program, "Wishbone."
The Core Ensemble, consisting of a piano, cello and percussion,
performs works by Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Billy Strayhom.
Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. The Core Ensemble is the 2000
recipient of the Edward McDermott Award for Excellence in the Arts,
awarded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"We are very fortunate to have this wonderfully talented group of
performers during Black History Month," said Dr. Gail Morfesis for
the UNCP Music Department. "We would like to thank Sandhills Community
Colleges for joining us in this venture and Chancellor Meadors
for his support."
The performances are sponsored by UNCP's Music Department and
the Office of Chancellor Allen C. Meadors and Sandhills Community
College.
Mclntyre Honored for His Work on ALS
Washington. D. C. - At a celebrity filled event in Durham Saturday
night, U. S. Representative Mike Mclntyre received the Lou Gehrig/
Jim "Catfish" Hunter All-Star Award for his efforts in the fight against
the deadly disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Mclntyre. who is Co-Chairman of the Rural Health Care Coalition,
has been instrumental in passing ALS specific legislation that waived
the two-year period for ALS patients to receive Medicare benefits.
Mclntyre has also supported additional funds for the National Institutes
of Health that conducts research into the cause of ALS.
Among the dignitaries at the Black-tie celebration of the ALS Association
-Carolinas Chapter were baseball stars Cal Ripken, Jr., Curt
Schilling, Lou Pinella, and Reggie Jackson. The honorary co-chairs of
the event were Kevin Costner and Mrs. Jim "Catfish" Hunter.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neuromuscular
disease. A person diagnosed with ALS can expect to live an average
of three to five years. ALS has no remission and its onset is rapid with
inevitable deterioration, paralysis, and death. There aje approximately
30,000 people in the US living with the reality of ALS every day.
Currently, there are 2,400 known cases in North and South Carolina.
Funds raised at the event will be used for continued research of a cure
for ALS.
Dr. Jeffrey Moore Named
Medical Director
Laurinburg, NC? The renovation of Scotland Memorial Hospital's
Third-floor for the new Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation is almost
complete. Physicians will begin admitting patients to the Center by
the middle of February.
Dr. feffreyMoore, pulmonologist and internal medicine physician
with Laurinburg Internal Medicine, has been named the Center's Medical
Director. Dr. Moore has practiced in Laurinburg since 1987. He is
board certified in internal medicine and completed a pulntonology
fellowship at Creighton University in Nebraska. He attended the west
Virginia University School of Medicine and completed an internship
and residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pennsylvania.
When it opens in a few weeks, the Center will provide seven private
patient rooms, a rehabilitation gym, an Activities of Daily Living room
(ADL), a whirlpool room, and a dining area. Inpatient rehabilitation is
a specialized program for hospitalized patients recovering from orthopedic
surgery such as joint replacement, stroke, or other neurological
disorders and injuries. Occupational. Speech, Recreation, and
Physical Therapy will aid in each patient's recovery. "Our physicians
and the hospital staff are very excited about this addition to our
hospital's services," said Dr. Moore. "I'm sure our patients and their
family members will be extremely pleased to know that they can now
receive this care right here in Laurinburg. It's very hard on family
members to help care for and visit their loved ones when they must
travel out of town to recuperate from orthopedic or neurological conditions.
In addition, our physicians can now more closely follow their
patients' recovery."
My. Wood, Hospital CEO added "I'm delighted to see another member
of the medical staff lend his expertise and leadership to help the
hospital. Dr. Moore has served this community excellently for almost
15 years with quality care and compassion and we look forward to
him overseeing the care of these patients."
The Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation at Scotland Memorial has a
home-like atmosphere, making it easier for patients to transition to
independent living when they are physically able. Most inpatient rehabilitation
patients require a two-week stay and must be medically
stable and able to tolerate a minimum of three hours of therapy per
day.
"We invite the community to visit the Center during our open house
and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, February 19 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.."
continued Dr. Moore.
For more information about the Center, contact your physician or
the Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation at Scotland Memorial at (910)
291-7321.
Ten Star All Star Basketball Camp
Applications are now being evaluated for The Ten Star All Star Summer
Basketball Camp. The Camp is by Invitation Only. Boys and Girls
ages 10-19 ate eligible to apply. Past participants include: Michael
Jordan, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse, Grant Hill and
Antawn Jamison. Players from 48 States and 7 Foreign countries attended
the 2001 Camp. College Basketball Scholarships are possible
for players selected to the All-American Team. Camp Locations Include:
Boiling Springs, NC, Thousand Oakes, CA, Babson Park, FL.
Gainesville, GA, Champaign, IL, Greencastle, IN, Dubuque, IA,
Hillsdale, MI, Saint Paul, MN, Rochester, NY, North Canton, OH.
Lock Haven. PA, Bristol, Rl, Athens, TN, Commerce, TX, Blacksburg,
VA, Olympia, WA. There is also a Team All Star Camp for School and
A.A.U. Teams. Team Camp Locations Include: Boiling Springs, NC,
Thousand Oaks, CA, Babson Park, FL, Greencastle, IN, Hillsdale. Ml.
Lock Haven. PA, Blacksburg. VA. For a free brochure, call (704) 5686801
ANYTIME.
Our Tribal Constitution
by Cynthia I.. Hunt
Tins week we w ill continue our look at tlie Lumbce Tribal Constitution
Our rex lew thus Tar lias included an evaluation ol Article I. winch
defines the tribe's termors and jurisdiction Tins week s installment
will begin with a rev tew of Article II that defines the membership of the
tribe Article II is one of the most important pros isions in our tribal
gov crning document It explains w ho is eligible for membership in the
Luinbee tribe This week 1 will explain the current enrollment membership
of the tribe and the effects the language included in Article II will
have on future membership issues
Before we begin our resiew of Article II. I feel it is important to
discuss tflc issue of tribal membership, and how those issues were
decided before the adoption of our tribal constitution
Historically in the Lumbee tribe, there was not a w iitten membership
criteria Everyone knew who the tribe s members were Howexer. in
the 1800s when the Indian school system was established, there were
committees established to address questions regarding whcthcr someone
was a member of the tribe in order to attend the Indian schools
These committees became know n as the "blood committees" and functioned
as late as the 1950s The committees were composed of tribal
leaders from the various tribal communities and had exclusive authority
in determining tnbal membership
In 1979 Lumbce Regional Development Association. Inc . the agency
responsible for administering tribal programs for many years, opened
the Lumbce Tnbal Enrollment Office This office was charged w ith the
responsibility of establishing a procedure for tribal enrollment For
many years the Luinbee Tribal Enrollment Office, tribal leaders, tribal
elders, and Julian T Pierce of Lumbce Riser Legal Services worked at
length to develop a sound membership criteria The tribe adopted
formal enrollment criteria in the 1980s to dctcjanmc tribal membership
Under these criteria, eligibility for menibenkhipNJiitiited to persons
w ho can demonstrate direct descent from a person idbutificd as Indian
on the source documents There arc varfous source documents including
US Federal Census records and cmircli records
This language is included in Article II /Section I
The general membership of the T nbe shall consist
of those persons who apply for enrollment
and demonstrate direct descent from a person
listed on Source Documents which arc listed on
Exhibit A to this Constitution and incorporated
herein by reference, and who maintain contact
w ith the Tribe
Please note the phrase "maintain contact w ith the Tnbe included in
Section I Not only docs an individual has c to demonstrate a genealogical
tie to the tribe, but an indtv idual apply ing for tribal membership
in the Lumbce tribe, must be able to demonstrate they maintain a certain
level of contact with the tribe This is a strong requirement for
enrollment in a tribe However. the requirement of maintaining tribal
relations is important because it protects the tribe from individuals
having remote tribal ancestry who themselves, in every sense of the
word belong to other ethnic groups and who may be more numerous
than the entire legitimate tribal membership
Article II - Section 2 also addresses maintaining contact with the
tribe as a requirement for tribal membership
Article II - Section 3 addresses dual membership Dual membership
means a person may be eligible to enroll with two tnbes However, this .
Section states. "Notwithstanding eligibility otherwise, no person s
application for enrollment shall be accepted if the applicant is an enrolled
member of any other Indian tribe unless the applicant lias relinquished
in writing his or her membership in such tribe " Therefore, ifa
person is enrolled with the Waccamaw-Siouan and applies for membership
in die Lumbee tribe, they must give up dicir membership iridic
Waccamaw-Siouan tribe in order to be enrolled Lumbce.
Article II - Section 4 defines the voting general membership of the
tribe. It is defined as ".. all members of the tribe who are eighteen
s cars and older and who arc registered x oters in accordance with duly
adopted tribal ordinances " Sometime before the next Tribal Council
election in 2003. ordinances regarding voter registration must be enacted
These ordinances will determine how voter registration will be
dealt with in tribal elections
Article II - Section 5 states the following:
The tribal council shall have authority to enact
such tribal ordinances governing tribal membership
as are consistent w ith this and other articles
of this constitution, provided that no indis
idual shall be eligible for adoption into the Tribc
unless such individual can demonstrate Lumbce
or other Indian ancestry.
This Section gives the Tribal Council the authority to enact tribal
ordinances relative to tribal membership It also allows persons who
can demonstrate ANY Indian ancestry the right to enroll in the Lumbce
Tribe This means that a Coharie. Waccamaw-Siouan. HaliwaSaponi.
Person Counts Indian. Mchcrrin. Eno-Occanecchi. or ev en a
Cherokee from the Qualla Boundary reservation could enroll in the
tribe.
This language in our tribal constitution is most disturbing and is not
in the best interest of the tribe The current enrollment in the tribe is
approximately 50.000. We do not need language that w ill increase this
number The only thing the tribe can gain from this is to dilute the
tribe's distinctiveness as to Lumbce genealogy For many years, the
tribe has been criticized for has ing such a large membership In addition.
while I agree that we should not apologize for has ing such a large
membership. I do not feel that adopting any person who can demonstrate
Indian ancestry will achieve anything useful I am positive this
Article will be the subject of an amendment at a future date
In conclusion, tribal membership is vital to any tribe The US Supreme
Court has ruled that every tribe has the rigid to determine who
its members arc. Tribes cannot function effectively without sound
membership criteria. It is important to note that tribal enrollment is one
of the most significant governmental functions our Tribal Council has
at this point
Next week we will continue our review with Article III - Distribution
of Powers.
Bryan Adrian Summer
Basketball Camp
Registration is now open for the 24th Annual Bryan Adrian Summer
Basketball Camp. Boys and girls ages 5-19 are eligible. The Summer
Camp is held at North Carolina Wcslcyan College in Rocky Mount.
N.C. the date is July 7-11. Included on The Camp Staff arc: Kris Lang
(UNC). Jason Capcl (UNC), Anthony Grundy (NC State) and Darius
Songaila (Wake Forest).
For a free Brochure Call (704) 568-0048 ANYTIME.