I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
Jan. 12, 1997
By Devlyn Brooks
Staff Writer
The first American Indian woman ever to serve as the U.S. Interior Department's assistant secretary for Indian Affairs resigned Thursday, and local Red Lake Tribal Chairman Bobby Whitefeather said he thinks he knows why.
Ada Deer, a member of the Wisconsin Menominee tribe, is stepping down as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs after spending the last two years fighting congressional efforts to cut the agency's budget and curb its authority.
However, Whitefeather said Saturday he thinks Deer is worn out from fighting the federal bureaucracy and the longstanding criticisms of BIA mismanagement of tribal programs and money.
"From the Red Lake Nation's perspective, we knew the departure of Ada Deer was imminent," Whitefeather said, "mostly because Ada was a victim of the federal bureaucracy. Even though she attempted to reform the BIA, the bureaucracy got her."
Whitefeather said Deer had been a friend to Red Lake over the years, and that she had a close relationship with former longtime Red Lake Chairman Roger Jourdain.
"They were two of the leaders of early Indian activism," he said.
As for who would be named Deer's successor, Whitefeather said there are a few names that have arisen nationally, but he was not sure enough to guess who it would be.
"Most importantly, we hope we will have some influence as to who is on the short list," he said. "Indian tribes across the country, as a whole, would like some input as to who replaces the assistant secretary."
Whitefeather said the new BIA director needs to be knowledgeable about Indian affairs, needs to keep fighting for more tribal self-government and needs to encourage tribal economic development.
"We still need that coordination with the assistant secretary when Congress passes legislation that affects us, such as welfare reform," he said.
Deer will stay on the jo until President Clinton names a successor.
Leech Lake Tribal Chairman Eli Hunt couldn't be reached Saturday for his reaction to the resignation.
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