"Mohawk Indians" seek Grand Ronde's approval

In Grand Ronde: We'll Decide About Mascots, people called Grand Ronde chairman Reyn Leno a sellout and an "apple." Here's more evidence that his actions are based on anything but a genuine concern for Native cultures.

Mohawk High School reaches out to Grande Ronde tribes in hopes of keeping Indians mascot

By Alisha RoemelingMohawk High School, in the ­Marcola School District northeast of Eugene, is home to the Mohawk Indians, a mascot it’s used since the school was established in the late 1920s, district Superintendent Bill Watkins said.

An image of an Indian with a mohawk and feathers in his hair adorns the floor of the school’s gym.

In an attempt to ensure the ­district won’t have to resurface the gym floor and do away with other ­elements of its mascot, Watkins met with the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, based in Polk County, in August.

But the discussion has not yet yielded a clear, written deal.

“They said they would support us and that they were not a group that was against school districts using anything associated with North ­American Indians or North ­American natives,” Watkins said. “I’ve never met a finer group of people who embraced me and embraced the fact that we wanted to talk with them.”So the Mohawk Indians of Marcola are trying to make a deal with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. According to Watkins, "they" (probably Chairman Leno and his lackeys) support the Mohawks.

Indeed, if we go by Watkins, Leno supports "anything associated with North ­American Indians." So this process has nothing to do with portraying Oregon Natives or any Natives accurately.

Law says no to Leno

That's odd, you might say. But shouldn't Oregon tribes have the right to determine what matters to them?

Let's continue with the article and how it describes the situation:While Marcola’s high school bears a tribe’s name—Mohawk—the Mohawk Tribe does not have Oregon ties. The Saint Regis Mohawk tribe originated in New York, according to a list of federally recognized tribes compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Nonetheless, the ­Marcola community long has identified with the Mohawk name.

Mohawk High is named after the Mohawk River, a tributary of the McKenzie River. The Mohawk River and the surrounding Mohawk Valley received their names in 1847 when ­settler Jacob Spores said the valley reminded him of the Mohawk River in his home state of New York, according to the Oregon Historical Society.

The new state rules make it complex for schools to win exemptions to keep their tribal mascots.

For example, the state education board’s rules for mascots with no obvious affiliation to an Oregon tribe are ­somewhat unclear.

The Jan. 21 rule summary states that a public school can enter into a written agreement with a Native American tribe that declares that the mascot “represents, is significant to or associated with the tribe” that the school is trying to enter an agreement with.

It also states that Oregon tribes cannot approve a mascot that’s from a tribe outside of Oregon.So the real Mohawks have no connection to Marcola's "Mohawks." The law states that no Oregon tribe can approve a non-Oregon name such as "Mohawks." Then why is Chairman Leno even meeting with school representatives? He has no right to intervene, but he's trying to do it anyway. He's nakedly circumventing the law.

For the answer to "why," see the first line about sellouts and apples. Leno doesn't care about Oregon tribes or their cultures. He's trying appease non-Natives--to gain clout as a broker between whites and Natives. That furthers his ability to stay in office and profit from his tribe's gaming.

Profile of tribal corruption

Confirming Leno's dubious ethics and morality is the following posting:

Profile of Tribal Corruption: Reyn LenoHere are the facts we know about Reyn Leno and his corrupt leadership:

He advocates for racist Native American mascots that are proven to have negative impacts on children as stated by the American Psychology Association in their 2005 study.

He has a total of 10 reported ethics violations. From the official complaint, https://andyjenness.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/reyn-leno-ethics-complaint-10-09-2011.pdf: "Defendant failed to uphold his oath of office in several ways. First, he failed to declare conflicts of interest between his personal interest and the public interest on multiple occasions. Second, he entered into an unlawful business transaction with RV. Where he paid less than market rates for services rendered from RV, a company which he, at the time, served as the Chairman on the board of directors, effectively committing theft of services. Third, Defendant used his position, influence and power to conceal and cover-up his unethical behavior."

He’s disenrolling tribal members under secrecy using Abramoff’s playbook and then putting a gag order on said tribal members, using ‘sovereignty’ to justify stripping members of their First Amendment rights. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jack-abramoff-the-lobbyists-playbook-30-05-2012/For more on the subject, see "Teach Our History, Keep Native Mascots" and The Grand Ronde Indians Mascot.