 January 29, 2006 Jacques Rogge, IOC President Dear President Rogge: Our board of directors of Native Voices Foundation (NVF), a partnership of U.S. Tribal leaders, Elders, ski communities and Olympians, applauds you for your visionary authorship of the IOC Eco recommendation to include Indigenous Peoples in the Olympics to help enhance their sustainability! NVF's mission is "to create joyful unity through sports (to heal the discrimination of indigenous peoples) and restore to health of our Mother Earth for all our children." NVF was first funded by the Texaco Star Grant voted by my US Olympic teammates, past and present, to help ensure that future generations have a chance to ski thanks to the tribes returning to ancestral lands. (I am US Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee, 1st woman of the USOC Board, and NVF co-founder). Added to the reasons in the enclosed letter and presentation, we are asking your blessing to include in future Olympics, a North American Indigenous Olympic Team, as a result of our Sovereign American Indian Nations reaching out, in a magnanimous gesture, to unite with their First Nations cousins, who are the Vancouver Hosts. This would include teams in the summer and winter Olympics in the 10 sports they invented or choose. Therefore, the two Chiefs: Joe Garcia, President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and Phil Fontaine, Chief of the General Assembly of the First Nations, request a meeting with you, at your earliest convenience during the Torino Games, so that you may ideally jointly announce your acceptance at a press conference, or announce their official bid. Tuanni Josephs, executive director of the Four Host Nations of the 2010 Vancouver Games, who said he and the Chiefs enjoyed getting to know you during your Olympic preparation meetings, offered to host the meeting and press conference at their BC House. President Garcia, who is also Governor of the San Juan Pueblo, is a runner who is also passionate about wanting to give Indian youth athletic opportunities as the key to restoring their health, dignity and spirit. Their Indian concept of a body, mind, spirit, and Nature-balanced sports philosophy for men and women predates Atlantis, according to oral traditions. Chief Fontaine, a hockey player and jr team owner, was co-chairman of the 2002 North American Indigenous Games in Manitoba. In a twist of fate last February, this bid is graciously backed by NVF's European royal supporters who want to heal the past and start a new beginning: Prince Albert, French Princess Caroline Murat, the Guinness's of Ireland/England (most ancient DNA Tribe of Ireland), and your Princess Lea. In the face of these catastrophic earth changes, this is a timely bold way to activate your Eco policy to ensure the Modern Games go on! While native athletes of our continent that many call "Turtle Island," have been competing together in the North American Indigenous (summer) Games and Arctic Winter Games for years, this Olympic inclusion will do the most turn around their 25 year less life expectancy and the Meth and youth suicide epidemics, (illuminated by the recent Minnesota tragedy), the highest of any races in America and Canada, which has not improved in a hundred years. Woody Vaspra (Hawaiian) President of the World Council of Elders and NVF executive board, and pro baseball and football player, is helping spearhead this, with the support of the Elders of both countries. He is walking the talk that "Our youth are the future." They will soon be the keepers of the critical traditional knowledge and connection to the earth for all the other races, who have forgotten the ways of our ancient ancestors. The two great Native leaders already have MOU's (memorandums of understanding) between the American Indian Nations and the First Nations of Canada, and have never recognized borders between their tribes and families as represented by the Jay Treaty. Our mainstream governments honor the Treaty and ancient relationship and allow them to freely cross the US/Canadian border without passports, as well as outside of the border checkpoints to conduct gatherings, ceremonies, pick berries, and other traditional activities. You may also be aware that the BC has already given the First Nations of Canada a $3 million Legacy Fund to help field a snowboard team in hopes of competing in their/your tribal-oriented 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It was spearheaded by Aaron Marchant (Squamish) of the Four Host Nations and Canadian Olympic ski racer, Steve Podborsky, whom I apparently inspired at Vail when I shared some of the amazing stories about our Native American Ski Programs that are snowballing across our country. Another champion for the Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, turns out to be my friendly Olympic ski rival, Nancy Greene, who was voted "Canada's Greatest Legend," coincidentally after she and her Olympic Coach husband, Al Raine, sent buses to the First Nations communities so they could ski and then become a viable workforce at Whistler. It then became the "Most Popular Ski Area in North America." HISTORY OF EURO ECO ENHANCEMENT THROUGH TRIBES As you may know, one of NVF's Euro leaders is Prince Albert, who has been a champion of the tribes after being adopted by the Lakotas, following in the moccasins of his great, great grandfather Albert I. As an example of how such an inclusion can streamline and bolster sustainability in the face of global warming weather changes, Albert 1's interaction with the Lakotas and Chief Sitting Bull, while hunting in Wyoming and sponsoring the Buffalo Bill Show in Europe, inspired him to found the Oceanographic Institute, over 100 years ahead of his time! The relationship of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker and President Teddy Roosevelt inspired him to found our National Parks System. Chief Oren Lyon's friendship with the Prime Minister of Sweden, inspired them to recently transform from nuclear to alternative energy. Scottish born American naturalist, Ernest Thompson Seton, a co-founder of the World Boy Scouts and Brownies, was adopted by the Lakotas and wrote the handbook that "spread their respect and love for Nature around the world. He called American Indians "role models for white children." NVF also applauds your part in creating the American Indian Opening at the Salt Lake Olympics, "which made it cool for the first time to be a Native American," declared Miss Indian World, Ke Aloha Alo, (Apache-Hawaiian French-speaking law student) at our final press conference at the Utah Games. Your then Secretary General, Francoise Zweifel, attended it, and remembers the resulting world story, "Indians End Games on High Note." As you may know, Ke Aloha and I then met with Shabahz Benham following the Gstaad (Switz) Music Festival in 2002, hosted by NVF Euro leader, French Princess Caroline Murat (closest Napoleon descendent). There many of Europe's influentials celebrated with us your uplifting Native American Opening. At the Benham meeting in Lausanne we had requested funding assistance (of any level) to help realize your Indigenous Eco recommendation. While we received encouragement, nothing else was offered. Ke Aloha, a snowboarder, brought some levity to the moment, when she noticed that you were brilliantly hosting the (Utah Olympic) Navajo Cultural Exhibit next door, and said, "IOC, that must mean Indigenous Olympic Committee!" Only last year did we realize why there may have been NO progress toward including our American Indian youth in the Games, because we understand from Madame Zweifel, that you only heard about the American Indian perspective from Anita DeFrance, our African-American US IOC representative. TRIBAL GIFTS TO THE OLYMPICS Hopefully the IOC is now aware that our American Indian Nations invented (some in partnership with their First Nations cousins) the roots of 10 Olympic sports, after Olympians from seven countries honored them at our heartwarming festive press conference/ceremony on Closing Ceremonies Day at Athens. The honorees were a fantastic dance group invited to perform in Athens by its Mayor. Their Olympic sports gifts include: canoeing, kayaking, (three-day) marathon, sledding, "Australian" Crawl, and team sports as a substitute for war: baseball, basketball (co-invented with SA Tribes), ice hockey, field hockey (Greeks share that sport and a gene with our tribes dating back 30,000 yrs), and soccer (kicking a ball for 3 days). See in the enclosed presentation, and www.nativevoices.org, "Tribal Gifts to the Olympics," co-authored by Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Iroquois Confederacy/Onondaga Chief, Master Lacrosse player, and renowned history professor/author, and Vaspra, (former pro baseball and football player), and me. The story ran worldwide and on the Olympic press website: http://www.sportsfeatures.com. ROYALS STANDING UP FOR TRIBES In the light of those priceless contributions, and believing in the good intent of your Indigenous Eco Recommendation, we thought your IOC staff would want to explore with us at least opening doors to giving our Indian youth more opportunities. Therefore, last February, while attending Princess Caroline's Ski and Music Festival in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, Stew Young (Tulalip "Orca (Killer Whale)" Tribe), a World Cup veteran speed skier and member of the newly formed Native American Ski Team, and I attempted to have a meeting with Clarissa Brock at your nearby Lausanne headquarters. We were surprised and saddened that we were denied a meeting, especially after Princess Caroline had just appeared on Swiss TV with Jean Marie Fournier, owner of Veysonnaz, announcing that "We are proud that our ski resort (with its great tipi on top), will be the European training center for the Native American Olympic Ski Team." That blockage is what spurred Princess Murat and her friends to stand up for the American Indian youth and give them a hand! Madame Zweifel, who had an apartment in the host hotel, immediately met with Stew and me. Thanks to Stew's presence she finally understood the real American Indian perspective. While Anita is a lovely capable person, Stew asked M. Zweifel, "How could she speak for our Indian Nations?" Realizing the missing communications link, Francoise graciously offered to get us together with your open-hearted Chef of your Solidarity Committee. (See enclosed international stories, "Euro Leaders Support Olympic Inclusion of US Tribes," and "Indians Bid for Olympic Sovereignty." PROOF OF SOVEREIGNTY Chief Oren Lyons supplied the legal ramifications after coincidentally attending meetings last February with the JFK and Udall Schools of Government: Considering: The existence of the treaty relationships between the United States and sovereign Indian Nations: "Indian Nations preexist the United States... Indian Nation Sovereignty is recognized and protected by the U.S. Constitution, legal precedent, and treaties, as well as applicable principles of Human Rights." -- from joint occasional papers on Native Affairs no. 200403 (from book, "Myths and Realities of Tribal Sovereignty: The Law and Economics of Indian Self Rule" by Joseph Kalt [Harvard's JFK School of Government & Native American Economic Development], and William Singer [Native Nations Institute at Udall Center for Studies of Public Policy at U. Arizona.]) Further: "The Iroquois Nationals (traveling under Haudenosaunee Passport) compete in the International Lacrosse Federation's (ILF) World Championships (Iroquois-invented game), and currently rank 4th behind USA, Canada and Australia," said Chief Lyons, Grand Master Lacrosse player, CEO of Iroquois Nationals Team, and history professor at U of Buffalo. President Bush reiterated their sovereignty during the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian on Sept 23, 2004. In a press release by the White House he states: "Native American cultures survive and flourish when tribes retain control over their own affairs and their own future. That is why, earlier this morning, I signed an executive memorandum to all federal agencies reaffirming the federal government's long-standing commitment to respecting tribal sovereignty and self-determination. My government will continue to honor this government-to-government relationship." Yet the enclosed DVD documentary, American Indian Homelands, hosted by ABC anchor Sam Donaldson, which is starting to air nationally and then internationally to outstanding reviews, finally clarifies the complexities that helps everyone understand the continuing theft of American Indian lands... (produced and directed by Barry ZeVan, a NVF advisor). Plus an environmental documentary called "Homelands: Four Portraits of Native Action" that uncovers the reality of life on Indian lands across America: Children playing near radioactive waste, tribes forced to fish in poisoned rivers, and hemmed in on all sides by trip mines and factories whose smokestacks spew noxious fumes, yet a few Indian activists standing up to big business and government. Jacques, when Princess Caroline introduced Stew and me at her event to your fellow countryman, Princess Lea, we found her to be a beautiful big-hearted leader. And it was your princess that came up with the bold solution: graciously offering to hand deliver this letter and educational presentation to you! Despite Madame Zweifel's brilliant suggestion, we all thought that you would want to personally handle or guide this sensitive issue, considering the special circumstances of our Indian Nations, and their far-reaching affects on the sustainability of the Olympics and Mother Earth, which is close to your heart. Thanks to our U.S. ski areas listening and working with our traditional Elders ever since Vail asked a Southern Utes Elder, Red Ute, to help save their opening with snow in 1961, we can bring you hope, which we are documenting on our Snow Riders of the American Indian Nations website: www.snow-riders.org. It is a site we are launching very soon at the suggestion of Michael Berry, President of the National Ski Areas Association, to help their 320 ski areas invite their tribes home to ski, snowboard and help with snow and "keeping winters cool." More contributions of the First Americans and First Nations, of which you may not be aware. --Besides inventing the roots of 10 Olympic Sports, --The First Nations Chiefs "helped" the Calgary Olympic Organizing Committee see the light and start the trend of enriching the Opening of their Canadian Olympics and future Olympics, like Norway, Japan, Australia, Utah and Greece, with the inclusion of their Indigenous People and their meaningful magnificent cultural heritage. "American Indians were the No. 1 Draw of the Salt Lake Olympics," said SLOC. Therefore since the Indigenous North Americans have particularly enriched your Olympics in so many ways, then wouldn't it be a befitting way to give back by also including their athletes whose ancestors invented a great number of your sports? --Nov 2000 - To help lift the early snow drought two years prior to the Utah Games, NVF organized a beautiful snow ceremony at Park City at the start of the America's Opening World Cup event - the Olympic Test. The spiritual leaders of the Utah Tribes, together with NVF advisor Roseanne Abrahamson (Shoshone), a World Champion Traditional Dancer/teacher honored at the White House as a descendent of Sakajawea, led a ceremony that successfully ended the drought and continued the favorable weather into the Games. (Roseanne was then asked to lead the cultural dances at the Salt Lake's Medals Plaza). The ceremony was graciously funded by the Indian Gaming Casinos of the Umatilla Confederacy, the Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota, headed by Tex Hall, (a basketball collegiate hall of famer), when he was NVF co-chair and President of the National Congress of American Indians, in partnership with Ski Utah. --2002 - When Lakota Chief Arvol Lookinghorse (Keeper of the White Buffalo Prophesy Pipe) agreed with psychics about the impending threat of terrorism at the Utah Games, NVF put together a "Salt Lake Olympic Protection Ceremony," led by the Olympic tribal host, N. Ute Chairman Roland McCook, next to the World's Largest Tipi at Park City. Muhammad Ali sent a note I read saying that, "I stand next to my Native American brothers and sisters in supporting this..." The Morongo Tribe of the California Mission Indians helped fund it, and the prestigious Flashnews agency sent the story (energy) around the world on Opening Ceremonies Day. Other tribes, like the Navajo and Hopi also did ceremonies at dawn at the Athletes Village. It worked. Princess Caroline's meeting Chairman McCook in Aspen, inspired her become NVF's Euro leader. --2004 - Thanks to the success in Salt Lake, and Native Peoples and Mother Earth suffer most from the aftermath of terrorism, Vaspra and I were inspired to write a "World Protection Prayer for the Athens Olympics." It was the lead story of 2,000 on Opening Ceremonies Day on the Olympic Press website. It worked. --Plus their priceless gifts of our First Peoples to humanity to democracy, ecology, world's food basket (tomatoes, potatoes, corn..), philosophy (influenced Ghandi Thoreau & Martin Luther King), and psychology (Jung's model)... Other reasons to support North American Indigenous Inclusion in the Olympics: --Perhaps your wanting to make amends for the far-reaching affects of the Jim Thorpe tragedy, which Stew Young pointed out "has crippled our Indian Nations to even dream of the Olympics. That's why only five U.S. reservation Indians have competed in over 100 years." --Because Olympic inclusion, starting with an announcement at Torino, will help provide awareness and stimulate millions of dollars in sponsorships, coaching and grass roots sports opportunities to field teams. It will also do wonders for our grass roots feeder system: The North American Indigenous Games and Arctic Winter Games. Through them we can find and further train the best athletes of North America for the China and Vancouver Games. Except for a few casino tribes, the rest of the Indian reservations, who have the lowest economic level in US, cannot afford to get the training to be able to compete. The Europeans appreciate American Indians more than our own country, and will want to help make it possible... Through you Euros, you will wake up America and show them how to take better care of their own. --The few Casino Tribes are still too messed up by us all to support their own athletes, despite watching on world TV what pride Cathy Freeman gave her Aborigines, and the Olympic soccer victories gave the Iraqis... Our tribes need a break. Your outreach will be the ultimate, befitting kick start to get them back on track. --Inclusion will greatly strengthen the ability of our Native American Ski and Snowbird Team members, to not only compete to their fullest, but be able to help create bridges between ski areas and tribes, and motivate and coach Indian youth, which is worth millions in opportunities and priceless in turning around their suicide and Meth epidemics. --Yet Billy Kidd's (who grew up in white society) Steamboat Winter Sports Club, which has produced 57 mainstream Olympians, founded a "Ute Future Olympians Program," and is currently coaching our Eskimo snowboarder. --John Nader, as President of the US Olympic Alumni Association, announced at the Utah Games that he would personally like to launch "Olympic Exchanges at Reservations across America," where the Olympians will give clinics, and in turn, be invited to pow wows, sweat lodges, ceremonies and hikes with Elders to be able to see Nature through their eyes, (and those of all our ancient ancestors), and to bring that message back to mainstrean. Evander Holyfield, Johnny Moseley, and Debbie Thomas are some of the Olympics legends excited to do so. This will get powerful Olympians on the "Save Mother Earth Bandwagon!" (especially Her winter playgrounds) --A Senate study by Senator Nighthorse Campbell (Cheyenne-US Olympic Judo Team) found that most Native Americans are too depressed to want to get healthy, as a result of the generationally expanding abuses from the government boarding schools, continuing land grabbing, broken treaties... --We heard that the Native American Sports Council (of USOC) already met with the USOC to explore how they could be more inclusive of American Indians and all Indigenous Peoples in the Olympics, but nothing was resolved. --Since war is accelerating the eating up of our children’s natural resources and taking the focus off Earth restoration, and most of the world terrorists are tribal people, we have a plan for our North American Indigenous sports stars to lead exchanges in the world's hotshot, as we did so successfully with 10 yr old King OEO of Uganda and the Utes skiing together at Keystone, CO. This ounce of prevention will give Africans and Arabs joy and hope for a better future, as an alternative to the terrorist camps for 7-10 year olds in Sudan and Lybia. Mike Votaries, my Greek-American co-host of the Athens press conference, who assisted on the Iraqi Olympic reinstatement, was contacted by the Iraqis, following their soccer victories at Athens, to please provide American women soccer coaches and stars for their girls! --It was "the ancient tribes of Greece that gave birth to the oracles," including the Oracle of Delphi (I visited there) that saved the Ancient Olympics. --And isn't it your responsibility to provide incentives and opportunities, if not funding, to include Indigenous Peoples in the Olympics to help ensure a healthy future of the Modern Olympics? OLYMPIC BID RESOLUTION: Therefore, --To implement your IOC Eco Recommendation to include Indigenous Peoples in the Olympics to enchance their sustainability, --And in appreciation for the priceless contributions of the First North Americans to the Olympics and humanity, and --And whereas, “a joint meeting of the Harvard and Udall Schools of Government leaders in February 2005, confirmed the Sovereignty of the American Indian Nations, reiterated in President George Bush Jr's speech at the White House launching the Opening of the National Museum of the American Indian last September. --And whereas we have established unity between the American Indian and First Nations leaders, NCAI President Joe Garcia and Chief Phil Fontaine of the General Assembly of First Nations (who are in the process of getting official resolutions of support), as well as Native sports leaders and world class athletes, --And this bid was initiated with the support of European royals, and without opposition by the USOC, We therefore urge your IOC to give full Olympic status and recognition to the North American Indigenous Olympic Team to be able to officially compete in future Olympic Games! ANNOUNCEMENT AT TORINO OLYMPICS Once you have had a chance to review and meditate on this, and if you are in agreement, President Garcia, Chief Fontaine, Woody Vaspra and I could then meet with you at Torino to explore our plan to include and welcome the North American Indigenous Team to compete in future Olympics. We could then together ideally jointly announce your IOC approval at a press conference, at your earliest convenience at the Torino Games. Brandon Pritcher, a Navajo supporter and awarding winning designer of sustainable communities, has been living in Torino and had offered us his world TV contacts for the press conference. Of course, the press are hungry for colorful, meaningful historic stories. We are inviting Prince Albert, Princess Caroline and Princess Lea to help introduce the two North American Chiefs to the world at the press conference! Then following Torino, the two sister Indigenous countries who have a North American Indigenous Games in Colorado this July, (hosted by the Southern Utes who co-founded NVF's Native Ski Program), can together work out the details of finding and developing the talent, and organizing each of the sports they are collectively strong in, to apply to the International Sports Federations. NVF is soon receiving a humanitarian grant to help make this possible. SPOTLIGHTING NATIVE TALENT IN TORINO Naturally, we would like to spotlight our Native Sports stars at the press conference and on the slopes by also requesting that three members of our Native American Ski and Snowboard Teams, as well as two First Nations boardercrossers, be invited to forerun the GS, Super G and boardercross events. Otherwise only one North American Indigenous athlete will be competing at Torino - Wade Redden, a First Nations hockey star on the 2006 Canadian Olympic Team. We have a few American Indian Hockey pros, but not on our Olympic Team. The American Indina athletes include: World Cup Speed Skier Stew Young, for the Super G, X-treme skier/racer Gene Tagaban (Tlinkit-Cherokee) for the GS. They include Chelsea and Mitchell Smithers. Your immediate invitation for them to forerun, suggested by Native American Ski Captain Billy Kidd (Abenaki Olympic Silver Medallist) will send a message to our Indigenous youth that they are truly welcomed into the Olympic Family, and give our Indian skiers a chance to train at Veysonnaz, where they have been graciously invited by owner Jean Marie Fournier. Wouldn't this be a simple but befitting gesture for a Host Nation? The First Nations are thrilled by this possible opportunity! PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR INDIAN NATIONS As a result of these extreme weather changes, you may also want to explore partnering with a team of some of the most gifted traditional Elders of North America, through Woody, to help rebalance, prevent or buffer some of Mother Earth's measures to regain Her balance. Humbly working with Creator, our North American Elders honor the Olympics for being the greatest force for peace and harmony in the world, and they believe that "we must now create more harmony between mainstream and indigenous cultures and Mother Earth." "These changes were prophesied by their ancestors, but they don't have to happen if you, the IOC, follow our ski areas in listening and working with the Elders," said Vaspra, who led a snow ceremony with the Utes years ago November, at Denver's Snowstorms Expo, which helped many of our participating Colorado ski areas get 10 feet of early snow so they could, in turn, share the skiing and boarding. "TRIBAL PHENOMENA" - Ski areas all over the West have been saved by the tribes. Bennie "Blue Thunder" LeBeau, an Eastern Shoshone, led a medicine wheel (part of many ancient world cultures) with 200 red, white, yellow and black people praying on the sacred sites around Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains, which reenergized the electromagnetic ley lines that restored the (5 yrs) dry lake and forests and gave skiers "the best snow in 150 yrs." There are medicine wheels all over the world. At the request of Spanish leaders, Blue Thunder also led a remote ceremony for their people. It worked and was documented. Given the European concern about America's Eco policies, you may be relieved to know that 1,100 National Trails Days events and ski areas like Aspen want the tribes to lead eco tours to help Mainstream Americans see Nature through their eyes, and those of our ancient European ancestors. PREPARATION - Thank you for giving us as much lead time as you can for the meeting with the Chiefs so we can make all the arrangements. In addition to our grass roots ski and snowboarding plan with many of the 320 ski areas, the Captain of the Native American Ski Team, Billy Kidd (Abenaki), silver medallist in Alpine skiing, inspired the Snowsports Industry to donate $.6 million in gear "to honor the tribes and help create a generation of Native Olympians." The press conference will electrify our two feeder events - The Arctic Winter Games in Alaska this March, and this July, 10,000 tribal members will compete in the North American Indigenous (summer) Games in Denver and Colorado Springs, in preparation for the Chinese and Vancouver Games. BEST HOPE FOR MODERN GAMES We are already working on bringing back the tradition of the Ancient Olympics of our Elders working with our Native athletes to help ensure that they are great role models for Indian youth and the world, considering the influence sports stars have on the ethics of society, which is the key to humane Civilizations. The Greeks who share genes with some of our tribes, knew this. Woody, who was a pro baseball and football player, is working with our athletes. Welcoming our American Indians into the Olympic Family will also help rekindle and restore the sacredness of Mount Olympus, and the earth-honoring philosophy of all our ancient ancestors, to the Modern Games! The IOC will be respected even more for walking your talk. With over 1,000 tribes being lost to humanity each year around the world, according to the U.N, your recognizing their incredible value through this inclusion, will help balance Globalization with the preservation of Indigenous Cultures! They carry the values, wisdom and ceremonies - a blueprint of a sustainable abundant future. With mainstream power and indigenous wisdom we can! Recognizing our First Peoples would also be a huge wake up call to our US leaders to start healing and honoring the past, as well as turning around the damage that America's overuse of energy, slowness in adopting clean biodiesel, and failure of our leadership to be team players with you ecologically advanced Europeans, in adopting the Kyoto Accord. Because we are a global village, we must quickly work together to prevent or slow down the cataclysms that humanity and the Olympics will suffer if we don't act boldly and swiftly. The melting of the glaciers is already wiping out some of our Alaskan villages. Your inclusion of our North American Indigenous Olympic Team, is your best hope of ensuring that these Games can go on to get near the 1,000 year record of the Ancient Olympics - and be a hero of the Modern Games, as the Oracle of Delphi was in Ancient Times. On behalf of my co-chairman Ed Hall (his idea to unite North America's Nations), NVF board, European supporters, North American Indigenous athletes and leaders, we deeply thank you for your timely consideration. Please forgive the length of this, but I am attempting to save you the 10 years it took me to be able help you understand who our First Peoples are! Blessings, Suzy Chaffee, NVF co-chair Woody Vaspra, NVF exec board, President World Council of Elders P.S. The background national and international stories links on this are on www.nativevoices.org - See pic of tipi on top of Alps, "Euros Support Native American Olympic Inclusion," Indian Country Today story - "Sovereign Nations bid for inclusion in Olympic Games," and the story of the Eskimo boardercross champ, "Chance to Give Hope to Indian Youth," and "Yup'ik Eskimo Tears up the Slopes," plus Snow-riders.org, First Nations Snowboard Team: FNsnowriders.com. CC: Joe Garcia, NCAI President Phil Fontaine, Chief of General Assembly of First Nations Ed "Sitting Bull" Hall - NVF co-chair Prince Albert of Monaco Princess Caroline Murat Princess Lea de Belgique Shahbaz Behnam - director IOC Environmental Committee Francoise Zweifel - former IOC Secretary General Jean-Marie Fournier - Veysonnaz owner - offering training center for Native American Ski Team Chief Oren Lyons NVF Board Tuanni Josephs, executive director Four Host Nations Aaron Marchant - First Nations Snowboard director Native American Ski & Snowboard Team-Capt Billy Kidd, bid liaison Stew Young, cultural presentation (ravendancer) Gene Tagaban First Nations Snowboarders Matthew Box, Vice Chair Southern Ute Nation - Host N. American Indigenous Games - July 2006 Jim Newton, S. Ute Council Host liaison to NAIG Games Brandon Pritcher - Torino Navajo TV liaison also offering volunteers there. Michael Berry - President, National Ski Areas Association - uniting ski areas with tribes David Ingimie - President, SnowSports Industry of America - offering gear Tom Cove - President National Sporting Goods Association - offering equipment Click here to download the letter (.rtf file) CONTACTS: Woody Vaspra: 303-570 5813, wcoe4peace@earthlink.net, NCAI President Joe Garcia at: 505-8524400, sjpgovsecurity@starband.com, First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine, 613-3270587, npine@afn.ca, Chief Oren Lyons: tel: 315-4924360, wendygonyea@yahoo.com, Tuanni Josephs, fourhostnations@shaw.ca, tel 604 715 1656, Aaron Marchant - amarchant@squamish.net, tel: 877 628 2288, Suzy Chaffee: cell: 323-493 3877, 928-634 5135, suzynativevoices@aol.com. Native Voices Foundation, 2500 Page Springs Rd, Page Springs, Arizona, 86325, tel: 323-493 3877 |