To: Senators Carl Levin, Debbie Stabenow, Daniel Akaka, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Maria Cantwell, Tim Johnson, Harry Reid, John McCain, and Pete Domenici.

From:

Scott A. Wyzlic

A.K.A. Ossokeh ninii

218 E. Johnson St.

Ishpeming, MI 49849

Senators,

My name is Scott Wyzlic, a proud member of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians (GRBOI), and Disabled American Veterans (DAV). It grieves me to have to resort to a campaign of letter writing but it seems that our people, once again, are being 'swept under the rug'. On December 8th 2001 a petition for reaffirmation was delivered to the Bureau of Indian Affairs by tribal chairman Ron Yob, the letter of intent to petition was filed in 1994, and since that time no information has been forth coming from that department. It is with this matter which I write this letter.

During our time of war this correspondence may not seem to be of great importance to you, and it would be easy to ignore, but to the people of the GRBOI reaffirmation is essential to our community, our identity, and our very existence. I would like to ask you, Senators of Michigan and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, to take a couple minutes of your day to inquire about the status of this petition. That is all!

Our people have struggled to regain rights that are taken for granted by most of the population of the United States, and in this struggle we face many more road blocks. Our right to reaffirmation is not a question in our minds; we have always been Indian and will always remain so. Our people have existed in the Grand River valley for centuries, our grandfathers fought in the Civil War with the Michigan Sharp Shooters, and our sons and daughters now fight in Iraq. Reaffirmation will allow us to have assistance in teaching our children our language (almost forgotten), care for our elders, and care and burials for our veterans that coincide with our customs.

In closing, I would like to thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Niwiijiiwagan Gitchii Miigwetch Kawaubmego gaye

Ossokeh ninii

GRB #MOO 48

"I am an Indian and can be nothing else, I wish my children to be civilized, I know their ways are superior to ours and that my people must adopt them or die, but I cannot change. The young can adopt new ways but the old cannot, I shall soon die - living and dying an Indian. You can bend a young tree but not an old oak."

Cob-moosa (good walker)

Great Chief of the Ottawa

Home page http://www.chartermi.net/~sawyz

mailto:scwyzlic@nmu.edu

mailto:sawyz@chartermi.net

(906)485-6583 home

(906)250-8733 cell

(906)227-1397 The Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University. M-F 11am-1pm