MY BIO


I started to write in 2003 after I criticized the Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal Council, they were hell-bent on shutting me up and they screwed with my payday lending business.  Most of my letters were to the tribal newspaper critical of the Tribal Council.  The more I wrote the worst they became, reporting me to the IRS and the South Dakota State Banking Commission with the sole purpose of running me out of business.

I have had over a thousand people, both white and Indian, who said they looked forward to my writings. I do not pretend to be a good writer but I have an opinion and I feel a story to tell.

I think all of us if we had the chance we would like to spend another day, a hour with our deceased ancestors and ask them questions about how it was in their time.  This blog is my effort to put down my thoughts on the events of my time so that a hundred years from now my great-great-great grandchildren will have an idea what it was like during my time, and who their grandpa Grady was and what he was thinking and doing a hundred years ago.

I have always said opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one, so thru out this blog you will read my opinion on nearly everything.  That certainly doesn't mean that I'm always right, and if you don't agree with me I'd like to hear your opinion.


I was born at the old Sisseton, South Dakota Indian hospital in 1943. My dad Joe Renville is a Sisseton Dakota Indian and was a pretty decent amateur baseball player having played for a St Louis Cardinal minor league team until he came down with tuberculosis.

My mother Naomi Fremont was ½ Omaha and ½ Seneca-Cayuga Indian. They met in Ft Yates North Dakota, my mothers first duty station after finishing nursing school in Philadelphia, Pa.

I have three brothers and one sister. My youngest brother Arden was Killed in Action on April 26, 1968 in Vietnam.

Robin, Bruce, Arden, Martha and I all graduated from college. I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1974 and went to work for the Sisseton Indian Heath Service. I was a Health System Administrator and retired from IHS in 1997.

In the early 90’s I began a payday lending business and it is now the oldest Indian owned business on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation.

I spent six years, three months and eighteen days in the US Army, US Navy, and the US Marine Corps Fleet Marine Force as a medical corpsman. I am a Vietnam Veteran.

I currently live in Edina Minnesota most of the time, but travel back to the Sisseton Rez frequently.

I have traveled or lived in nearly every state in America and served in Korea, Japan, Okinawa, and Vietnam.

I am married to Shirley One Road, we have four children, Travis, Bub, Billie and J Garrett, and we took in sixteen other kids while we were raising our family.

I have been a Indian political activist since 1968 and I am committed to improving the lives of the Native Americans, in my own small way.

GRADYMAZASKA@YAHOO.COM



I  want to explain the reasons I was disenrolled from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe.  When I was born my mother enrolled my sister Martha, my brothers Bruce, Robin, Arden, and myself in the Omaha Tribe. She was a registered nurse with Indian Health Service and thought that someday she would work at the Winnebago Indian Hospital.

This never happen so when we became adults I guess we realized we would never live in Macy or Winnebago, in about 1974, I relinquished my membership from the Omaha Tribe, which was a battle because their a small tribe and did not want to let me go, when they finally did I joined the Old Agency District. 

My mother is 1/2 Omaha and 1/2 Seneca-Cayuga Indian.  Her dad Francis Freemont was full blood Omaha and her mother was full blood Seneca-Cayuga.  Her mother's name was Melinda Cayuga, the same name of the Tribe.  So, we all have close ties to the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Miami Oklahoma althought none of us have ever lived there.

 My grandmother Melinda met Francis Freemont at Carlisle Industrial School, after they married they owned a small farm near Macy Nebraska. 

My mother was a good student while she attended the Genoa Indian School in Nebraska and this resulted in her getting a scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing, she graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1939, one of the first Indian RN's in America.  Her first duty station was Fort Yates, North Dakota, where she met my dad Joe Renville, a 7/8ths Sisseton, and the grandson of Sisseton Wahpeton Chief Gabriel Renville (1867-1892).


Dakota Indians have been mixing with white people since the late 1700's and in recent years my guess is that they have breed with members of all of other 560 tribes in America.  I have one grandson who has six Indian blood running thru his veins - Sisseton, Seneca-Cayuga, Omaha, Pomo, Navajo, and Hopi and a few drops of white blood - French, Scotch, and Irish.  According to the SWO Tribal Constitution he will have to make a choice were he will enroll and thereby "dis-own" five of his other tribal bloods.

In 2006 the Sisseton Wahpeton's passed a constitutional amendment to prohibit dual enrollment.

I was not dual enrolled at the time.

I don't not know for sure what motivated the tribal council to put this on the ballot in 2006.  The vote count was about 1,200 for the prohibition and 600 against the dual enrollment prohibition.

I was told that there was some concern about Sisseton Wahpeton's who also had close ties to Upper Sioux Tribe and the Crow Creek Tribe and could possibly be getting "benefits" from both tribes.  The name I heard mentioned was Gerald Blue, I am not even sure if he was alive in 2006.

Those who know the eastern Dakota history surely know that those Dakota Indian's who live in Santee, Flandreau, Crow Creek, Spirit Lake, Lower, and Upper Sioux all share a common history.  All of us were kicked out of Minnesota in 1863, and nearly everyone is somehow related to each other.

Hence, the modern day usage of MITAKUYA OWASIN - "We are all related, or all my relations."

I am  not fluent in the Dakota language, but my dad was, and I never heard him or others use this phrase when I was growing up.  Now days you can't hardly go to a tribal doings of some kind and this phrase is used.  It has become fashionable to say "we are all relatives."  Which is part of the phenomena of changing the Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Tribe to the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate in recent years.

Oyate is an INCLUSIVE term and I am sure this was the intent and motivation of those who voted to change the Sisseteon Wahpeton Sioux Tribe to Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.

I decided to enroll with the Seneca-Cayuga's sometime in 2009, after my mother enrolled with them.

My mother was enrolled with the Omaha Tribe all her life, when she found out the S.C's did not have a dual enrollment prohibition she applied for enrollment with the Seneca-Cayuga's and was accepted.

Actually, her 1/2 degree of S.C. blood is probably the most degreed blood of all the modern day Seneca-Cayuga's.  And, the reason for this is that the S.C's have intermixed with non-Indians and other tribes for hundreds of years.  The S.C's also do not have a Blood Quantum requirement, unlike the SWO's

No doubt my mother was motivated also by the fact the S.C's provided a one time monetary grant to its elderly members.  They also try to give their elders money, if they have it.  The amount varies depending on how well their gaming industry is doing.


As far as I know my mother does not get any "help" from the Omaha's.

My sister Martha, my brother Robin, and I also enrolled at different times.  I don't know if my brother Bruce is enrolled, for the simple reason it does not make any difference to me.

I do not think any of us even were aware that the Sisseton Wahpeton's had changed the constitution in 2006 barring dual enrollment.  I know I did not vote in the 2005 fall tribal elections.

In 2010 my sister Martha was involved in the Old Agency District affairs and had pressed the district officers in what she thought was reckless spending.  The district chairman Les Barse took offense to her repeated questioning.

 
Martha's son Austin is married to Jamie Barse, Les Barse's niece, and they knew that Martha was enrolled with the Seneca-Cauyga Tribe.  Somehow Les Barse found this out, and that I was also enrolled with the S.C's.

2010 was election year, Martha wanted to run for Old Agency district council women.  So when Les Barse threatened to report her to the tribe she relinquished from the Seneca-Cayuga's. 

I, however, decided to challenge the dual enrollment prohibition.  It must have been in May 2010 that Delbert Hopkins, the SWO Tribal Secretary,  sent me a letter asking what my intentions were.

The SWO tribal attorney's quickly wrote up a policy to address being dual enrolled.  Their orignal policy did not mention that I or anyone else guilty of being dual enrolled could get kicked out of the SWO Tribe.

I told the tribal council that I had no intention of dis-enrolling from the Seneca-Cayuga's or the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.

After seven months of wrangling back and forth a hearing was scheduled for December 29, 2010 in front of the SWO tribal council.

Garryl Rousseau chaired the meeting as Mike Selvage was on sick leave.

I gave a lenthy presentation why I would not dis-enroll from either tribe.

The tribal council consisting of Joyce Country, Norma Perko, Jr. Kirk, Jr. Rondell, Kevin Roberts, Terri Larson, David Selvage, Delbert Hopkins voted to disenroll me. 

Typical of most tribal council meetings most of them sat there with the "Deer in Head Lights" look.

The biggest mouth at the hearing was David Selvage, who claimed his father was Max Renville.  Ask  most Renville's and they will tell you this is a blantant lie.  But, having said that David had no choice in who his father was.  I had no choice that my mother is Seneca-Cayuga.  I did however  have a choice to claim all my relative, thereby violating the tribal consitution.

My argument's were:  Do the SWO really believe in Mitakuyapi Owasin?

Why is dual enrollment such an egregious "crime" (note the tribal resolution states that my action was not criminal)?

I asked is it because dual enrollment constitutes DOUBLE DIPPING?

None of the council would answer this question.  I suppose because Jr. Kirk, Dave Selvage, Terri Larson had already, or were in the process of lining up their next tribal job, and we're busy greasing their wheels on the way out the door.  Later, Delbert Hopkins also went to work at another tribal entity, the SWCC.

But, having stated this fact it is not illegal for a tribal politician to grease their wheels, and go from one tribal entity to another, as long as they are not dual enrolled.

It turns out that to be dual enrolled is the "mother" of all "crimes" in Oyateland.

I haven't been able to find out why dual enrollment is such an egregious (exceedingly bad) offense, after all a Sisseton Wahpeton tribal member can rape, rob, murder, molest, sell drug, abuse, abandon and their children, tried and convicted, and sent to prison, but they will not be dis-enrolled from the SWO Tribe.

So why is dual enrollment so bad?

No one - friend or foe - has been able to give me a logical/intelligent reason why dual enrollment is the "mother of all crimes" in Oyateland.

For some reason the idea of "double dipping" is the only illogical reason that makes dual enrollment the worst of all acts or behaviors a Sisseton Wahpeton tribal member can display/commit.

My response has been - How can dual enrolled be "double dipping?"

If the Sisseton Oyate want to give me or a member a monthly elderly coupon, what business is it of the Seneca-Cayuga's, and vice versa?
 
All that is at stake here, in my case, is the monetary issue.  I was getting a $150 elderly coupon from the Sisseton Wahpeton's.  And, occasionally, the Seneca Cayuga's would send me some elder assistance if I asked for it.

The S.C's don't have a dual enrollment prohibition, so I'm assuming they don't care if their tribal members are enrolled in another tribe, or, if the other tribe gives their members something.

It is not like the SWO Tribe and Seneca-Cayuga's are giving away new cars, homes, and million dollar per capita payments, and that I could get all of these expensive perks from both tribes.  We're basically talking about tribal chump change here.

But, the Sisseton and Wahpeton's, who profess to possess ancient values of Sharing and Generosity somehow really must care that the Gerald Blue's and Grady Renville's of the tribal world can get something from another tribe.

Why?

That is the million dollar question.

I do not plan to dis-enroll from the Seneca-Cayuga's. 

In January 2011 I filed a Temporary Restrainting Order right after I was disenrolled, and I was granted a TRO until a hearing was held.  Judge Jones eventually denied the TRO.

I then filed my complaint or action in Tribal Court to began the process to adjudicate this matter in tribal court.

I argued in my complaint that the Tribal Council violated the Indian Civil Rights Act and the US Constitution, both of which guarantee due process rights, a bar against what is called Ex Post Facto laws, Bill of Attainder, and violation of the 8th Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment).

Take for example a Bill of Attainder, which guarantees citizens that a legislative body such as the tribal council cannot be the judge and jury on civil and criminal matters.  If in fact I committed a "crime" or, the SWO tribal constituion, which i did, the tribal council should have filed charges in tribal court, which they never did, instead choosing to hold a "lynch mob" hearing.

Fundamental legal principles in America guarantee that one cannot deprive a person of life, liberty, and property (tribal citizenship is a property right) without first due process of law.

On the day of the hearing, Dec 29, 2010, there were no laws in the tribal codes to punish an offender for being dual enrolled.  The tribal council dropped the ball and failed to impose any punishments or penalties for being dual enroll.

As an example, since there were no penalties in the tribal code, the tribal council could have given me a "slap on the wrist," and denied me my monthly elderly coupon, instead, they dis-enrolled me.

SINCE THERE WERE NO LAW REGARDING THE PENALTIES OR PUNISHMENT FOR BEING GUILTY OF BEING DUAL ENROLLED, THEY MADE UP THE PUNISHMENT ON THE DAY OF MY HEARING!

In law this is called Ex Post Facto, making a law after the fact.

Anyway, I asked in my complaint to tribal court that I be granted a jury trial and a different judge.

Judge Jones gave the case to another judge - El Marie Conklin - and she ruled that I was not entitled to a jury trial because the "matter had already been decided," or, what is called Res Judicata.

Which meant that when Judge Jones ruled on my Temporary Restraining Order, that was my trial.

For your information a Temporary Restraining Order is used to stop or prevent a party from doing anything to an opposing party until the matter is argued in tribal court.  In other words, I filed a TRO so that the SWO Tribe could not take any of my rights and privileges as a tribal member until the matter was fully litigated in tribal court.

For the past year I have been sitting on this case and waiting to someday file my disenrollment in federal court.  Originally my intent was to do what they call "pro se" (representing myself) but, after studying the issue this would not be in my best interest, so when I do decide to file this in federal court I will hire an attorney, and I fully intent to attachment a substantial monetary claim against the SWO Tribe for taking away my tribal citizenship or property rights without full due process.

In the event this happens the tribe will no doubt argue that it is the tribe's inherent right to set membership requirement.  I do not disagree with that.

The tribe will no doubt cite a Supreme Court case called Martinez v. Santa Clara Pueblo, and of course the sovereign immunity argument.

Those of you who are interested in law please read the Martinez case. This landmark case weakened the Indian Civil Rights Act.

I will also argue several violation of my basic civil rights.

If the tribe wants to dis-enroll someone they certainly have the inherent right to do so, however, they must do it in a proper legal manner, insuring the member's full due process rights.  Instead, of acting like a Third or Forth World type Government.

I am not sure that a tribe can disenroll a member.  If disenrollment is anolgous to de-citizening a member/citizen, I do not think this is constitutionally legal.

There is a Supreme Court case Trop vs. Dulles (356 U.S. 86, 1958) that declared this practice unconstitutional.  At one time in America the US government had given itself the right to take away the citizenship of a US citizen.

Citizenship, US, or tribal, is an inalienable right.  The Trop v. Dulles decision said, "...even if citizenship could be disvested in the exercise of some governmental power it violates the 8th Amendment, because it is penal in nature and prescribes a cruel and unusual punishment..."

My Brother Robin is also dual enrolled, and he was at my hearing On December 29, 2010, and after the hearing the tribal attorney Shuan Eastman said to him:  "You're next."

That was over a year ago, as of today (January 2012) the tribal council hasn't done anything to disenroll him, or any others members that are dual enrolled.

And, they still haven't enacted tribal codes to punish a dual enrollee. 

When you think about it that is a huge problem.

It is normal or common in the "real" world to make a law, and it follows that you also enact a penalty or punishment for violating the law, right?

However, in the tribal world, apparently you don't to have a penalty, you can make one up to suit the situation.  Apparently, in the tribal world you can have a law, but it does not have to be codified - to reduce to a code.

The tribal council and their attorneys did not complete the process of the prohibition against dual enrollment.  They held an election to change the tribal constitution but they did not follow up by codifying the prohibition/punishment in the tribal codes. 

For the tribe to enact a penalty now would be an admission that they screwed up.

But, the whole tribal system is F'd up.  Because when I took my case to tribal court, where it should have been adjudicated in the first place, I got some jackass ruling from both Judge Jones and El Marie Conklin.

But, that is ok, I have now "exhausted my administrative remedies" at the tribal level and can go directly to federal court.  I sent a letter to Judge Jones asking him if indeed my administrative remedies" were exhausted, he did not respond.

I think this is a good issue, and I think I can prevail in a federal court because I have some good constitutional violation issues.

Being disenrolled is happening all over American today, because of gaming revenues, tribes are trying to cut out as many people/members as they can to increase their own per cap payments.  That is the situation over at Shakopee, and that was one of the reasons for the second letter I have posted in this blog.

My "banishment" letter from Shakopee is below, and the reason for it are explained.

We'll see how all this plays out.

In the meantime, all I am out financially is the $150.00 monthly elderly coupon, and an occasional district day.  As I have said to several people, and this is not a brag, I make a $150.00 dollars everyday of the month, from my other business interests and investments, so this issue IS NOT ABOUT the mazaska. 

This issue is about - Do we really believe that we are all related, or is that just a hollow phrase the Indian like to use to impress themselves and others.

Thanks for listening. (1/12/12)



TRIBAL COUNCIL RESOLUTION TO DISENROLLMENT ME FROM THE SWO TRIBE



NO TRESPASS NOTICE FROM THE SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON 
If you read the "book" I have posted, "It Aint EZ Being an Indian," on this blog you will note that on several occasions I wrote that the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, based upon our history, should go to the State of Minnesota and see if they want to partner with the tribe and build a casino in the Twin Cities.

I also wrote that the current "Tribe" Shakopee Mdewakantons were imposter's pretending to be the descendants of the Mdewakantons listed on the 1886 and 1896 McCleod and Hinton rolls.

I actually quoted this information from Phd. Anthropologist Barbara Feezor Buttes, who made this claim in a book she entitled "Beyond Sovereignty: The Mdewakanton Identity Heist."

Of course, the leadership at Shakopee did not want to hear my suggestion to the SWO tribal council to build a casino in the Twin Cities area, and the Mdewakanton imposter statement.

You can read Dr. Buttes book @ the Mohrman & Kaardal website, click on the link to the Wolfchild lawsuit.  You will find this interesting reading.

So, in August 2008, they banished me from all their properties PERMANENTLY!

I find it interesting in their opening paragraph they state they maintain sovereign authority, and later state that if I show up on their properties they will call the Prior Lake police, and invoke Minnesota trespassing laws.

I think its kind of stupid that a multi-million dollar, or maybe even a billion dollar community (tribe -they are barred from calling themselves a tribe) to take the time to banish me.

Like, who in the hell is Grady Renville that a million/billion dollar community (tribe) is worried about me and my opinion.

Of course, I can understand that they want to maintain their twin cities gambling monopoly, and my guess is Dr. Buttes and I hit the nail on the head when we called them imposter Mdewakanton's.

But, having said that, the BIA screwed up back in 1969 and there is not a damn thing Dr. Buttes, or anyone else can do about that.

And, it has been my experience in dealing with Indian politicians these past 40 some years - that you give a regular joe blow Indian a little power or position and they go Witco (crazy).

I presented my idea to build a casino to the tribal council in 2008, and they told me to "take the idea back to the districts," which is ludicrous.  Since when has the tribal council ever taken anything back to the districts?

The reason they did not pursue this casino idea was that none of them know their history, if they did, they would know that the opening paragraph of the Treaty of 1867, which established the Lake Traverse Reservation, lays the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Mdewakantons for starting the War of 1862, the same people who now claim to be descendants of those Mdewakantons.

The other reason the SWO Tribe did not pursue this idea was because the SWO Tribe owes Shakopee over $30 million dollars and I am sure they did not want to offend them.

Forget SWO sovereignty, in other words, the Shakopee Mdewakanton imposters own the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate!

In my way of thinking, Shakopee should give Sisseton any money it needs as a form of reparations (the act of making amends) for getting the Sisseton and Wahpetons kicked out of Minnesota in 1863, losing what remaining land they had, and aborgating all their prior made treaties.

History has indeed played a very cruel joke on the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of Dakota Indians, former owners of half the State of Minnesota.

As I write this Minnesota is considering a new Viking stadium, and proposing to tax its citizens, and/or, expanding gaming as a way to pay for it.

I think it is a hell of an idea that Sisseton and the other four modern day tribes that got kicked out of Minnesota (Spirit Lake, Flandreau, Santee, and Crow Creek) partner with the State of Minnesota to build a casino in the twin cities area.

So, that is what my banishment from Shakopee is all about. 

I did not get drunk, trash their hotel rooms, count cards, cuss out the blackjack dealers, or dump pop or coffee down the coin drop on the slot machines, or write bad checks, usual reasons you get banished from Mystic Lake.

It is frinkin' dangerous in Indian Country to have an opinion!

And, I guess if i am peed off about the banishment it stems from the fact that I served in the Army, Navy, and Fleet Marine Force for six years, three months, and eighteen days, and I think I earned my right to state an opinion.

Again, thanks for "listening."

And, mitakuyapi owasin and I really mean it!  (1/12/2012)