FROM THE ARCHIVE

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In The Hoop
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2002

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

Sovereignty Snippets
After 2,800 miles and lots of hard work, the first ever Sovereignty Run ended this week in Washington, D.C.

As with any massive undertaking, there were some snafus. A lack of runners in some states, organizational glitches and at-large D.C.-area sniper, who apparently just killed another victim last night, worried some of the organizers as the runners approached the nation's capitol.

But all was well as the group made its way to the Supreme Court, where tribal leaders, a drum group and dozens of others were waiting. So it was with great fanfare that Alma Ransom, a traditional Mohawk chief, presented the runners with a traditional welcoming gift of bottled water.

Senator Sovereignty
The real star of the morning, it turns out, was Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), whose mere presence mandates a horde of reporters, camera crews and those Men in Black. (Who were dressed in jogging gear because they too had to run to save our sovereignty!)

The only person missing was Daschle-appendage Tim Johnson, the "other" senator from South Dakota. Johnson, who is up for re-election against one Rep. John Thune (R), often gets that extra push because of his "joint" press releases, statements and otherwise with Daschle.

But suffice to say, Johnson wasn't present. And as soon as Daschle finished his speech and hopped into his Men in Black SUV, most of the media bolted. The destruction of tribal rights apparently is not a big story.

Sovereignty Scoot That didn't stop tribal leaders and running leader Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Nation from giving some inspiring speeches about tribal sovereignty.

The best comment, though, came from Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington. As the event unfolded, a D.C. police officer was pushing rally participants off the steps of the courthouse.

That of course defeats the purpose of having a rally on the steps of the courthouse. Incensed, Allen took the microphone and angrily declared "I'm even upset that I can't stand on the steps of this courthouse!"

In Your Hoop
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