John Tanner, 88, of Tucson, Ariz., looks over handmade dolls Sunday at Red Rock Park. Tanner, no relation to Gallup's Tanner family, has been judging Ceremonial artwork for more than 50 years.

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The shifting face of art
Ceremonial judge notes many changes

Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Special to the Independent

GALLUP — John Tanner was a child in Chicago 79 years ago when, hundreds of miles to the west, the first Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial was being staged. He couldn't know then that his life would become linked to the Ceremonial and to the Indian arts and crafts that have been the Ceremonial's trademark.

Tanner, 88, has served as a judge in the Ceremonial's art competition for well over a half century. And, after a break of several years, Tanner is back as honorary head judge.

During a recent interview at Red Rock State Park, as he inspected dozens of items in this year's competition, Tanner talked about his decades of experience with Indian arts and crafts and the Gallup Ceremonial.

A man of quick wit, Tanner's conversation is filled with humor, from subtle irony to zany one liners.

According to Tanner, his entry into the field of Indian arts and crafts in the 1930s was never a planned career move but rather one of life's simple twists of fate.

As a young man, Tanner left Chicago to visit his sister in Tucson, Ariz., "the most godforsaken place" he had ever seen. At the end of his visit, with only $6 in his pocket, Tanner didn't have enough money for the fare home. He was forced to look for work in Tucson.

One of the jobs he found was helping to run a slide machine one evening for a young instructor from the University of Arizona's anthropology department. He and Clara Lee, the instructor, married and a lifetime partnership began. And Tucson became his home.

For another job, Tanner was hired to drive students up to the Navajo Reservation for academic research. He found the reservation and its people fascinating and he bought a few arts and crafts items that caught his eye. Back in Tucson, friends and acquaintances eagerly purchased his finds, and Tanner's first retail Indian arts and crafts business was born.

Years later Tanner doesn't recall the first year Tanner and his wife began to make annual visits to the Ceremonial to judge the art competition. Tanner was then a well-known dealer in the field and his wife was a noted authority on Indian arts and crafts who wrote a number of books on the subject.

This year, however, Tanner is alone. Clara Lee Tanner died in December 1997 after a long illness, just two weeks short of the couple's 62nd wedding anniversary.

In addition to being the honorary head judge this year, Tanner is judging the Tribal Arts category "mostly things that don't fit anywhere else," he said. It includes such things as wine glasses with beaded stems, a totem pole, a hair roach, moccasins, dolls, cradleboards, bows, flutes and Native American Church paraphernalia.

Tanner likes the beaded wine glasses, but is not particularly impressed with some other items that take radical leaps away from tradition. He shrugs when asked to explain his preferences.

"The whole picture is changing," he admitted, "and you have to change with it." Tanner said he personally finds breaks with tradition in the fields of painting and jewelry easier to accept than changes in other fields like basketry.

But change is also what makes the field of Indian art so interesting, and also so very difficult to judge.

For example, he cited Southwest Indian pottery. According to Tanner, for a time, dealers and experts in the field were unaware that Acoma potters were beginning to paint and sell commercial greenware as authentic, hand-crafted pieces.

"It took a while for anyone to realize that was going on," he said.

In another instance, Ceremonial judges disqualified pottery by Navajo potters that wasn't made in the traditional Navajo style. The potters' work, however, went on to become highly acclaimed and the Ceremonial judges were forced to change their criteria for Navajo pottery.

The introduction of commercial yarn into Navajo weaving is another change people have had to accept, Tanner said, adding, "It's almost a miracle if you find a homespun, hand-woven piece."

Also, he added, years ago the geographical home areas of the weavers would correspond to their weaving pattern style. That's no longer necessarily the case.

It's also no longer the case that one can pick up a piece of native art and easily be able to identify the artist's tribal heritage.
That was true in the 1930s when Tanner started in the business, but has grown less and less true in recent decades.

A change that Tanner is not happy with is some buyers' emphasis today on the prestige of a particular's artist's name rather than having a true appreciation which a piece's artistic merits.

"This is very distressing to me," Tanner said.

"I think it's pitiful. But," he said with a shrug, "I'm kind of a grouch."

Tanner has a lot of affection for the Ceremonial and Gallup. Although his old traveling sanctuary, Gallup's Harvey Hotel "$3.50 a room with a real bed, hot water and good food" no longer exists, he still appreciates the community's hospitality.

Tanner said that although he has also judged at Santa Fe's Indian Market, he has always preferred the more "genuine show" of the Ceremonial.

"This was home for me," he said simply.

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Big-city lawyers get big Gallup $$$
Company hired without bids

S.J. Ludescher
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The City of Gallup is working on a lot of projects requiring many hours of expensive legal advice.

Most of that advice has been obtained from out-of-town attorneys who were not required to compete through a bidding process for the lucrative contracts.

In early June, the Independent learned that the city had spent $380,169.22 for legal counsel within the nine-month period from July 1, 1999 to March 30.

That worked out to roughly $10,000 per week.

Since that time and with the termination of the Public Service Co. of New Mexico lawsuit the city's legal bill is about half of that amount.

What the city had never disclosed, however, was that PNM paid at least half of those legal fees. This isn't evident from the billing statements obtained from public records because of the arrangement made with PNM for reimbursement. The law firm billed the city for the full amount of the legal bill and then billed PNM for its share.

About $65,000 was earned by local firms who had competed for the contracts through the required bidding procedure.
The biggest portion of the legal payments was doled out to Speigel & McDiarmid in Washington, D.C.

The firm was hired to handle the lawsuit between the city and Public Service Company of New Mexico, which is now closed.

The firm was recommended to the city by Gallup Utilities Executive Director Rex Jerrim, who had worked in a Florida city where the same attorneys had represented that municipality. Jerrim said the law firm had experience with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and was licensed to practice in Washington, D.C.

When asked about the matter several weeks ago, City Manager David Ruiz said he had not issued bids for the legal advice because of the complex nature of the lawsuit requiring an attorney with a specialization.

Legal advisor to the Independent, Pat Rogers of Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris and Sisk in Albuquerque suggested there may be a problem and the awarding ofcontracts without bidding could be inappropriate.

The Independent interviewed Alan Roth, a partner in the firm which is handling the litigation.

While the case was complex and the firm does have experience with these cases, Roth said that his firm was not the only one that could have successfully represented the city.

"We are specialized," he said, "but it's not out of the ability of a competent attorney."

Roth said that at the initial consultation about the case, fees had been discussed but he did not remember the exact quote.
When asked if it was reasonable to assume the figure was more than $35,000 the maximum allowable without following the bidding process Roth replied that amount "wouldn't have covered an entire month's expense at the beginning of the case."

Roth further stated that the firm had collected more than $350,000 from the city but did not know the exact amount to date, adding, "I know that the billing was around $25,000 per month, but now that the case is winding down, I don't think it's that high now."

Jerrim's explanation for the lack of a bid, however, was that the FERC gave the City of Gallup only 30 days in which to respond to the PNM lawsuit. "That wasn't even enough time to really answer the complaint, much less go through the bidding process," he said.

Jerrim had also been responsible for the contract with the Albuquerque-based consulting firm of Cainski and Associates, which billed the city for slightly more than $150,000. Margot Steadman, an attorney with the company, specializes in utility and energy issues often involving power plants. Not all of that amount went for legal advice, however; about half paid for an engineering consultant.

Jerrim had asked the general consul at Conoco for a recommendation of an attorney specializing in these issues. Steadman had served as an executive director of New Mexico Electric Switch and was recommended. She interviewed with city officials and was hired.

"Basically," Jerrim said, "we hired her to help us work with the D.C. attorneys about the case. Sort of hiring an attorney to talk to an attorney."

Steadman said that her firm had not been required to bid for the contract since the services were rendered on an "as needed" basis. The fees accrued as billable hours. The firm was used on more than one project, she said.

The City of Gallup tracks the amount of money paid out by the project not by the name of the vendor or category such as "legal fees."

Another attorney, Dan Israel of Carefree, Ariz., was also paid $31,075.62 during the same time for consultation about the Navajo-Gallup water pipeline project. Israel said during an interview that he had not been required to compete for his contract.

Israel restricts his law practice to issues involving water, tribal law and rights and the related environmental complications. He works for tribes throughout the United States and the other governmental agencies affected.

Israel said he had learned about Gallup's water issues during meetings where city officials were present. He talked with Public Works Executive Director Stan Henderson and was asked to submit a resume. Subsequently, Israel was hired late in 1999 to help Gallup with the pipeline project.

"It was clear that it ( the water issue) was getting complicated and needed the expertise," he said. "I knew the problems."

Israel also represents the Colorado Ute Indian Tribe with its controversial Animas-La Plata water project. Some critics of the A-LP project see this as a conflict, claiming the A-LP is in direct competition with the Navajo-Gallup water pipeline. Israel, however, does not think so.

Israel said he jumped into the Gallup-Navajo project on the tail end of the A-LP project when things had been settled and the Ute project had been significantly scaled back from 120,000 acre-feet to 57,000.

"If it were truly an issue of competition, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to work on both projects," he said

Israel further stated his involvement with the surrounding tribes and water issues was discussed with city officials prior to his contract.

"My job is to put Gallup in partnership with the Navajos on the pipeline project and get the concerns addressed," he said.
"I'm confident that when all is said and done, Gallup will have water."

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Ruins being assessed at parks

Roni Polk
Staff Writer

GRANTS — The latest forest fire at Mesa Verde National Park has brought to light previously hidden prehistoric archaeological sites.

Closer to home, Jim Kendrick, an archaeologist new to the National Park Service, was recently hired to oversee the "Vanishing Treasures" program at El Morro National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, and Petrified Forest National Park.

The Vanishing Treasures are 41 separate areas within the three parks which contain architectural ruins of national historical significance. Since most of these prehistoric structures are made from masonry and adobe, stabilization is necessary to preserve them for future generations to visit and study.

The superintendents of the two national monuments in New Mexico and the national park in Arizona joined together last year in requesting funding for an archaeologist to assess the 41 areas. Kendrick is the second archaeologist to manage the new program.

"We're aiming at cyclic maintenance of the sites rather than crisis management," Kendrick said. Prior to the fire at Mesa Verde, he received help from a regional park service civil engineer in starting the assessment at El Morro.

At'sina is an ancestral Zuni pueblo site on top of El Morro. One threat to the ruins there is inadequate drainage when it's wet. According to Kendrick, the existing foundations could be undermined and crumble without stabilization.

All the previous records for At'sina are at the Western Archaeological Conservation Center in Tucson. Kendrick can use this information to plan for future conservation of the site, too.

The Vanishing Treasures' assessments are on a fast track to meet the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 1. Kendrick said he hopes to have assistance from Chaco Culture National Historical Park's staff in completing the work by the deadline.

His short-term goals for El Malpais and Petrified Forest are to determine the kinds of adverse effects erosion and visitation are having on the prehistoric architectural ruins in these areas.

Kendrick has the experience to make these determinations, having worked on prehistoric sites in the Four Corners area near Mesa Verde and more recently for Zuni Cultural Resource Enterprises. This fall he'll complete his doctoral qualifications in anthropology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

In the long run, Kendrick sees the Vanishing Treasures sites as a means for understanding household economy and providing another perspective of the past: "How did it change from the Chaco period to the time of abandonment at Mesa Verde?"

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RMCH travels overseas to fill nursing shortage

Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer

GALLUP — With resources drying up around the nation, Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital has gone overseas to get the nurses it needs.

On Thursday, three officials from RMCH went to the Philippines to recruit several nurses. The hospital has about 25 nursing vacancies and hopes to get 10 to 15 nurses from the Philippines, said Bernice Brewer, who will be going to the Asian islands and is the vice president for patient care services at RMCH.

The pressures that are on RMCH are the same that are on hospitals around the United States and, some say, in other countries. Fewer people are going into nursing and at the same time, many nurses are nearing retirement age.

Students choose to become nurses less often now because of other career opportunities. Women traditionally have gone into teaching or nursing if they wanted a career, but they have more choices now. (Schools are also facing a teacher shortage.)

Other health services officials have argued that the strong economy has created many jobs with higher salaries that are more attractive to young adults.

Nurses are also getting offers from places that don't have evening, weekend or holiday shifts. Organizations that offer nursing services have job opportunities that don't require the unusual or long hours hospitals do, Brewer said.

The greatest need is for specialized nurses. Brewer and her colleagues will be looking for experienced specialists in the Philippines.

Though the nursing program at University of New Mexico-Gallup has had problems and the state Board of Nursing may decide to close it, Brewer said this has not caused any additional trouble for RMCH. She said new graduates cannot work as specialists, and they usually provide general health care.

However, Brewer has said that about 80 percent of RMCH's nursing staff has come from the UNM-G program.

Brewer is working with a nurse recruitment company to bring the Filipino nurses to Gallup. Four Filipino physicians at RMCH already also helped the hospital learn more about the Filipino nurses. Brewer has seen several rsums and has chosen which people she would like to interview.

The company will pay for attorney's expenses to get the nurses the proper paperwork to come here. RMCH will pay the company $9,000 for each nurse, and it will pay for the travel expenses, which will be about $3,500, Brewer said. The nurses will come under a two- and half-year contract and receive the same pay as their colleagues at RMCH.

RMCH also uses traveling or contract nurses. The hospital pays companies which contract out nurses about $200 to $250 per week. On top of that, RMCH must pay for housing, travel, salary, a signing bonus and an exiting bonus. Those nurses
usually stay 14 to 20 weeks.

Brewer said bringing in nurses from the Philippines who have expressed interest in staying in Gallup is less expensive than getting contract nurses.

The nurses take an exam which tests their English skills before they begin working. Once nurses are hired by an American hospital, those nurses must take the board exams that other nursing students have to take to get a nursing license.

Brewer said she is not worried about this because the Filipino nurses have traditionally had a 90 percent pass rate on the test, which is better than the pass rate of American nursing students. Also, nurses who do fail the test and cannot work in the U. S. are returned, and RMCH would not have to pay the company for those nurses.

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Begaye wants Indians on panel

Stan Bindell
Special to the Independent

WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye wants Native American representation on a 38-member statewide water task force that Arizona Gov. Jane Hull has formed without appointing any Indians to it.

Begaye said Native Americans need to be represented because there are many water concerns that Arizona Indians, particularly Navajos, have.

Begaye said he could not go into specifics about Navajo water concerns because they are in litigation with the federal government regarding their water rights from the Colorado River. However, he said one concern is that they don't want to see too much Colorado River water used in southern Arizona because they are afraid it will lessen the water available to them...

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Jammers 'jam' in taking title

Alan Arthur
Sports Editor

GALLUP — The Gallup Jammers had a 22-run jam session in the third inning Sunday on their way to a 31-18 victory over Hanosh Motors of Grants in the championship game of the Michael Saucedo Memorial softball tournament.

The Jammers went unbeaten through the weekend slowpitch tournament held at the Gallup Sports Complex as they captured the upper division championship. The Pounders finished in third place.

In the lower division, The Flight won the championship, beating Los Amigos in the title game. Kelly's Bulldogs took third place.

Hanosh Motors had come into the championship game with hopes of beating the Jammers twice to claim the title. Hanosh was moving along with a 6-2 lead until the third inning came up...

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Shiprock team places second

Carrie Loretto
Staff Sports Writer

PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Shiprock Reds quieted their critics with a runner-up finish at the Arizona Diamondbacks Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball Tournament over the weekend.

The defending champion Fort Defiance ended up fourth behind San Carlos. Window Rock and the Shiprock Sky Sox were eliminated by Fort Defiance and the Reds.

"We weren't even supposed to be here," Shiprock Reds coach Jack Tome said. "The other teams staying at our hotel were counting us out after we lost to San Carlos..."

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Lightning fires stretch Cibola resources

Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

GRANTS — Responding to the worst western wildfire season in 50 years is taxing area firefighting resources beyond reason. But somehow, the fires are getting fought even in Cibola National Forest where on Friday alone lightning sparked
nine blazes.

"They ranged from an eighth of an acre to seven acres," Bobby Garley said as he worked aloneanswering telephones and dispatching firefighters to new blazes Saturday night.

It was a good thing he had wheels on his office chair as Garley pushed from desk to desk to answer telephones or pick up a radio call.

"We're short on resources," Garley said, meaning manpower. "We've been using the (National) Park Service and they have been a lot of help, but we just can't get the kind of air support we need with the fires in the West taking just about every helicopter and airplane available..."

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Coal miners end strike

Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau

TSE BONITO — The coal strike is over.

The second-longest strike in the history of the McKinley Mine ended on Sunday when United Mine Workers of America Local 1332 voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract with Pittsburg and Midway Coal Mining Company.

First shift workers were due to report back to work at midnight Sunday.

By a vote of 214-31, with four challenged ballots, union members accepted the new six-year contract. Of the local's 290 members, 249 voted. The contract into the year 2006 also covers about 20 blue collar workers who are not members of the union. Ninety-three percent are Navajo...

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D-back star tells kids to have fun

Carrie Loretto
Staff Sports Writer

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Over a hundred area baseball players were doing what Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Matt Williams would advise them to do.

"Enjoy the game while you've got a chance to play it, you never know where it might take you. I'm fortunate to be able to play this game for a living," Williams said following a 9-5 victory over the New York Mets Sunday.

"I had fun playing," said 10-year-old Ivy Honie of the Polacca Rattlers which was one of nine area teams competing in the 2nd Annual Arizona Diamondbacks Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball Invitational.

"It was pretty good, I'm mostly having fun," agreed Shiprock Reds player Montero Pablo while watching his favorite team win...

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Deaths

Brittany Elise Blossey

AUSTIN, Texas — Services for Brittany Elise Blossey, 11, will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the St. Paul's Catholic Church. The Rev. Paul F. McCallum will officiate. Burial will follow at the Onion Creek Memorial Park.

Memorial services will be held at 7 tonight, Aug. 7, at the Wilke-Clay Fish Funeral Home in Austin.

Blossey died July 10 in Holbrook, Ariz. She was born Aug. 9, 1988, to Deborah and George Blossey.

Blossey attended Bailey Middle School and was a member of the Wind Ensemble, the Star Strutter Dance Team and the National Junior Honor Society. She was a member of the Shady Hollow Swim Team and was an accomplished pianist and loved theater arts. She was a member of the Croation Catholic Lodge 59 and the Croation Fraternal Union 60.

Survivors include her parents, Deborah and George Blossey; sister, Courtney Rose Blossey; and grandparents, Roseary Mary Plese of Gallup and Jospehine Williams of Duquoin Ill.

Blossey was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Joe M. Plese and Lyle Abbott.

Pallbearers will be Curt Cole, Terry Everett, Bob Hanna, Ric Plese, Michael Soliz and Paul Williams.

Rose Manuelito

NASCHITTI — Services for Rosie Manuelito, 46, will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the St. Paul's Catholic Church in Naschitti. Burial will follow at the Naschitti Community Cemetery.

Manuelito died Aug. 3 in Albuquerque. She was born July 26, 1954, in Gallup into the Mud People Clan for the Sleeping Rock People Clan.

Manuelito was a life resident of Naschitti. She attended elementary school in Rico, Colo., and attended high school in Shiprock. She was self-employed as an inlayer and sandpainter. Her hobbies included sewing, cooking and raising her family.

Survivors include her husband, Ronnye Manuelito of Naschitti; son, Justin Manuelito of Naschitti; daughters, Colleen Manuelito, Krystal Manuelito and Rebecca Manuelito, all of Naschitti; mother, Theresa Henry of Naschitti; brothers, Cecil Henry, Ned Henry, Stanley Henry, Edward Henry and Tommy Joe Henry, all of Naschitti; and sisters, Elouise Henry, Glorenia Henry and Teresa Yazzie, all of Naschitti.

Manuelito was preceded in death by her father, Edward B. Henry; and a grandfather, Nelson Pine.

Pallbearers will be Ned Henry, Alfred Henry, Edward Henry, Anslem Allen, Cecil Henry Jr. and Donovan Henry.

The family will receive friends and family after the burial services at the Naschitti Chapter House

Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Marcus Lewis

HOUCK, Ariz. — Services for Marcus Lewis, 16, will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Latter Day Saints Chapel in Sanders, Ariz. President Dan Garner will officiate. Burial will follow at the Houck Community Cemetery.

Lewis died Aug. 4 in Adamana, Ariz. He was born March 8, 1984, into the Near the Water People Clan for the Black Sheep People Clan.

Lewis was a junior at Valley High School in Sanders, Ariz.

Survivors include his parents, Marlene Largo and Ted Lewis; sister, Margo Bitsuie of Flagstaff, Ariz.; brother, Christopher L. Joe of Houck, Ariz.; grandparents, Joe Largo, Homer Joe and Dorothy Joe, all of Houck.

Pallbearers will be Ted Lewis, Mark Lewis, Isaac Yazzie, Chester Largo, Harrison Largo and Harold Largo.

The family will receive friends and family after the burial services at the Latter Day Saints Church.