Native dancer released until next U.S. court date

Blackbear · 11-06-2005, 12:57 AM

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FROM: THE GLOBE AND MAIL NEWSPAPER

_http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/200
51105/BCBRIEFS05-1/TPNational/Canada_
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...ational/Canada)

Native dancer released until next U.S. court date

By ROBERT MATAS
Saturday, November 5, 2005 Page _S2_
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...1105&searchDat
eType=searchDateRange&sort=Score,sortdate,sorttime&hub=SearchAdvanced&searchTy
pe=Advanced&from_date=20051105&to_date=20051105)

Vancouver -- Ranger Oppenheim, a B.C. native dancer charged with smuggling
83 kilograms of marijuana across the Canadian-U.S. border, has been released
from custody until his next court appearance on Nov. 14 in Seattle.
When he was stopped at the border, Mr. Oppenheim said the marijuana was for
use in a peyote ceremony at the Lummi Indian reservation in the United States.
Under conditions set by the U.S. District Court, Mr. Oppenheim and six
others arrested at the same time are required to report regularly to pretrial
services officers and abide by whatever conditions the officers set.
If they fail to show up for their next court date, they could be imprisoned
for up to 10 years and fined $250,000.

quicksilverwade · 11-07-2005, 04:35 PM

Everybody smokes peji but to hoarde 83 kilos is asking for trouble.

WhoMe · 11-07-2005, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackbear

...... Mr. Oppenheim said the marijuana was for use in a peyote ceremony......

Someone....GET A ROPE!

Blackbear · 11-07-2005, 05:50 PM

http://www.mapinc.org/newscfdp/v05/n1718/a05.html

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83 KILOGRAMS OF POT NEEDED FOR RELIGIOUS RITE, CHARGED NATIVE SAYS
Globe and Mail (03 Nov 2005)

VANCOUVER -- A widely known B.C. native dancer charged with smuggling 83 kilograms of marijuana across the Canadian-U.S. border says the illegal drug was for use in a religious ceremony at an American Indian reservation.

U.S. border guards found the marijuana on Sunday in two motor homes crossing the border at Sumas, Wash. Ranger Oppenheim, who is in his 30s, was driving one of the vehicles, which were carrying nine people.

Mr. Oppenheim said he knew marijuana was in the motor home, according to the formal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

When questioned by a special agent from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, he said the group of seven adult natives and two children was going to a peyote ceremony at the Lummi Indian Reservation, about 30 kilometres south of the border.

Mr. Oppenheim told the U.S. agent that all of the marijuana was for use at a ceremony where peyote is used for religious purposes, the document states.

All seven adults were charged with importing marijuana, and could face more than 10 years in prison if convicted.

Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office, said prosecutors in Seattle did not recall a previous case at the border in which people accused of smuggling asserted marijuana was for a peyote ceremony.

"I'm not sure we have ever seen one where someone is bringing it in for ceremonial or religious use," she said in a telephone interview.

Mr. Oppenheim lives on the Shacken Indian reserve, an isolated community of 25 homes about 130 kilometres southwest of Kamloops. He is a well-respected drummer and dancer who has performed at events in British Columbia and across the United States, a neighbour and a family member said yesterday in interviews.

Jimmy Toodlican, who lives next door to Mr. Oppenheim, said Mr. Oppenheim goes to "powwows" to participate in competitions of traditional dancing and drumming. "He learned it from the elders. He used to run drumming groups," Mr. Toodlican said. "He goes wherever there is a powwow."

Mr. Oppenheim also makes traditional regalia for dancers and drummers, with eagle feathers and porcupine quills, he added.

"He's pretty well known, both north and south."

Mr. Oppenheim's cousin, Joan Seymour, said he has travelled to Arizona and New Mexico and to the eastern United States to perform as a traditional dancer. He stopped dancing after his father died a few years ago and did more drumming, she said, but has recently started dancing again.

Despite Mr. Oppenheim's comments to the border guards, a spokesman for the Lummi Nation said that the Lummi Indian Reservation does not welcome illegal drugs in its territory and that the Native American Church does not use marijuana in its peyote ceremonies.

"We have a community mobilization against drugs and alcohol," spokesman Jewell James said yesterday in a telephone interview.

"Our community and our leadership is committed to eliminating trafficking of narcotics and drugs into our community. This is an insult to the Lummi Nation. It's a disgrace to native American traditionalists and a disgrace to the Native American Church."

After a hard-fought battle for religious freedom, the Native American Church won the support of the U.S. Congress in the mid-1990s to use peyote as a sacrament in its ceremonies. Church members use peyote strictly according to ceremonial protocols, and not as a drug, Mr. James said.

He also said he had never heard of Mr. Oppenheim. "Whatever [those arrested at the border] were doing, it had nothing to do with those practising traditional methods of prayer," Mr. James said. "All members of the Native American Church would be deeply hurt when they hear this insult. . . . The American Native Church does not use marijuana in the peyote ceremony."

In the court document, U.S. Customs Enforcement Special Agent Shaun Smith states that five of the seven adults "confessed" to knowingly attempting to smuggle marijuana into the United States.

The marijuana was found in vacuum-sealed bags inside hockey bags, he stated. He heard different explanations from different people in the group. Some said they had come across the border with marijuana on several occasions and were paid for taking the trip. Others said the group was going to a religious ceremony.

A bail hearing for the seven Canadians is scheduled to be held today in Seattle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman

Pubdate: Thu, 03 Nov 2005
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2005, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact: letters@globeandmail.ca
Website: http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Robert Matas

Blue Poet · 11-07-2005, 07:53 PM

Since when is bud a substitute for peyote buttons in NAC ceremony? For chrissakes, what an idiot. Peyote and bud are not the same thing. The border guys have probably heard every tall tale imaginable. Anyone stupid enough to cross the border with baggies deserves what they get.

**chazziff** · 11-08-2005, 11:18 AM

WTF!! fak lock em up and throw away the key!! pot at a PEYOTE ceremony ... duh!! shyt and he had two kids in the vehicle!! wouldn't it be like saying "i need this pot for my son's barmitzvah" or "my daughter's communion" dumb azz!!

**billyjoejimbob** · 11-08-2005, 12:26 PM

If my math calculations are correct, 83 kilograms is 183 pounds.

183 pounds of pot

This guy is screwed. So are all the dependend competition dancers and singers.

WhoMe · 11-08-2005, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackbear

[VANCOUVER -- A widely known B.C. native dancer ..........

What is he widely known for?

"Not having a brain?"

Blackbear · 11-08-2005, 04:40 PM

Dang you were close BJJB.. 182.6 to be exact.
I have no idea what he's famous for Whome... I don't know the guy... never heard of him.

**badmaninc** · 11-08-2005, 09:36 PM

Actually he is not originally from BC he is from east of the Rockies, that is all I am saying. I am from BC and I never heard of this dude. But if you ask me they oughta do to him what our people used to do to people who shamed or disgraced/dishonoured our tribe. They used to take these individuals down to the low tide mark strap them to a heavy rock. If they were really bad then they used cut the back of their legs and when the tide came in they would suffer. Their suffering was heard by all and it was a message to what happens to people who dishonoured the tribe. It is a little harsh but I'm guessing it was very effective.

**WocusWoman** · 11-09-2005, 02:12 AM

I hope they throw the book at him, one less pusher around. If he's so traditional, he would not be using, shipping, selling mary jane. Period!

11-06-2005, 12:57 AM	#1 (permalink)
Blackbear Space Cowboy Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Alaska Posts: 9,622	Native dancer released until next U.S. court date ************************************************ ******** This Message Is Reprinted Under The Fair Use Doctrine Of International Copyright Law: _http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html_ (http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html) ********************************************** ********** FROM: THE GLOBE AND MAIL NEWSPAPER _http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/200 51105/BCBRIEFS05-1/TPNational/Canada_ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...ational/Canada) Native dancer released until next U.S. court date By ROBERT MATAS Saturday, November 5, 2005 Page _S2_ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...1105&searchDat eType=searchDateRange&sort=Score,sortdate,sorttime&hub=SearchAdvanced&searchTy pe=Advanced&from_date=20051105&to_date=20051105) Vancouver -- Ranger Oppenheim, a B.C. native dancer charged with smuggling 83 kilograms of marijuana across the Canadian-U.S. border, has been released from custody until his next court appearance on Nov. 14 in Seattle. When he was stopped at the border, Mr. Oppenheim said the marijuana was for use in a peyote ceremony at the Lummi Indian reservation in the United States. Under conditions set by the U.S. District Court, Mr. Oppenheim and six others arrested at the same time are required to report regularly to pretrial services officers and abide by whatever conditions the officers set. If they fail to show up for their next court date, they could be imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined $250,000. __________________ Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear... just sing, sing a song.

11-07-2005, 05:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
Blackbear Space Cowboy Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Alaska Posts: 9,622	http://www.mapinc.org/newscfdp/v05/n1718/a05.html Home \| Goals \| Founders \| What's New \| Headlines \| Contact Us \| Join \| Contribute anonymously \| Search -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 83 KILOGRAMS OF POT NEEDED FOR RELIGIOUS RITE, CHARGED NATIVE SAYS Globe and Mail (03 Nov 2005) VANCOUVER -- A widely known B.C. native dancer charged with smuggling 83 kilograms of marijuana across the Canadian-U.S. border says the illegal drug was for use in a religious ceremony at an American Indian reservation. U.S. border guards found the marijuana on Sunday in two motor homes crossing the border at Sumas, Wash. Ranger Oppenheim, who is in his 30s, was driving one of the vehicles, which were carrying nine people. Mr. Oppenheim said he knew marijuana was in the motor home, according to the formal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. When questioned by a special agent from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, he said the group of seven adult natives and two children was going to a peyote ceremony at the Lummi Indian Reservation, about 30 kilometres south of the border. Mr. Oppenheim told the U.S. agent that all of the marijuana was for use at a ceremony where peyote is used for religious purposes, the document states. All seven adults were charged with importing marijuana, and could face more than 10 years in prison if convicted. Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office, said prosecutors in Seattle did not recall a previous case at the border in which people accused of smuggling asserted marijuana was for a peyote ceremony. "I'm not sure we have ever seen one where someone is bringing it in for ceremonial or religious use," she said in a telephone interview. Mr. Oppenheim lives on the Shacken Indian reserve, an isolated community of 25 homes about 130 kilometres southwest of Kamloops. He is a well-respected drummer and dancer who has performed at events in British Columbia and across the United States, a neighbour and a family member said yesterday in interviews. Jimmy Toodlican, who lives next door to Mr. Oppenheim, said Mr. Oppenheim goes to "powwows" to participate in competitions of traditional dancing and drumming. "He learned it from the elders. He used to run drumming groups," Mr. Toodlican said. "He goes wherever there is a powwow." Mr. Oppenheim also makes traditional regalia for dancers and drummers, with eagle feathers and porcupine quills, he added. "He's pretty well known, both north and south." Mr. Oppenheim's cousin, Joan Seymour, said he has travelled to Arizona and New Mexico and to the eastern United States to perform as a traditional dancer. He stopped dancing after his father died a few years ago and did more drumming, she said, but has recently started dancing again. Despite Mr. Oppenheim's comments to the border guards, a spokesman for the Lummi Nation said that the Lummi Indian Reservation does not welcome illegal drugs in its territory and that the Native American Church does not use marijuana in its peyote ceremonies. "We have a community mobilization against drugs and alcohol," spokesman Jewell James said yesterday in a telephone interview. "Our community and our leadership is committed to eliminating trafficking of narcotics and drugs into our community. This is an insult to the Lummi Nation. It's a disgrace to native American traditionalists and a disgrace to the Native American Church." After a hard-fought battle for religious freedom, the Native American Church won the support of the U.S. Congress in the mid-1990s to use peyote as a sacrament in its ceremonies. Church members use peyote strictly according to ceremonial protocols, and not as a drug, Mr. James said. He also said he had never heard of Mr. Oppenheim. "Whatever [those arrested at the border] were doing, it had nothing to do with those practising traditional methods of prayer," Mr. James said. "All members of the Native American Church would be deeply hurt when they hear this insult. . . . The American Native Church does not use marijuana in the peyote ceremony." In the court document, U.S. Customs Enforcement Special Agent Shaun Smith states that five of the seven adults "confessed" to knowingly attempting to smuggle marijuana into the United States. The marijuana was found in vacuum-sealed bags inside hockey bags, he stated. He heard different explanations from different people in the group. Some said they had come across the border with marijuana on several occasions and were paid for taking the trip. Others said the group was going to a religious ceremony. A bail hearing for the seven Canadians is scheduled to be held today in Seattle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman Pubdate: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2005, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: letters@globeandmail.ca Website: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Robert Matas __________________ Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear... just sing, sing a song.

11-08-2005, 11:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
chazziff YO!! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in a big sleigh bed Posts: 6,517	WTF!! fak lock em up and throw away the key!! pot at a PEYOTE ceremony ... duh!! shyt and he had two kids in the vehicle!! wouldn't it be like saying "i need this pot for my son's barmitzvah" or "my daughter's communion" dumb azz!! __________________ See I wanna move, but can't escape from you So I keep it low, keep a secret code So everybody else don't have to know So keep ya love locked down Last edited by chazziff; 11-08-2005 at 11:20 AM.

11-08-2005, 04:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
Blackbear Space Cowboy Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Alaska Posts: 9,622	Dang you were close BJJB.. 182.6 to be exact. I have no idea what he's famous for Whome... I don't know the guy... never heard of him. __________________ Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear... just sing, sing a song.

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11-07-2005, 04:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
quicksilverwade Banned Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: South of the Deadly San Andreas Fault Posts: 1,555	Everybody smokes peji but to hoarde 83 kilos is asking for trouble.

11-07-2005, 07:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
Blue Poet Junior Dancer Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 146	Since when is bud a substitute for peyote buttons in NAC ceremony? For chrissakes, what an idiot. Peyote and bud are not the same thing. The border guys have probably heard every tall tale imaginable. Anyone stupid enough to cross the border with baggies deserves what they get.

11-08-2005, 12:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
billyjoejimbob Fat Singer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: white guy land Posts: 1,526	If my math calculations are correct, 83 kilograms is 183 pounds. 183 pounds of pot This guy is screwed. So are all the dependend competition dancers and singers.

11-08-2005, 09:36 PM	#10 (permalink)
badmaninc PowWows.com Addicts Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saanich Tribes, B.C. Posts: 3,037	Actually he is not originally from BC he is from east of the Rockies, that is all I am saying. I am from BC and I never heard of this dude. But if you ask me they oughta do to him what our people used to do to people who shamed or disgraced/dishonoured our tribe. They used to take these individuals down to the low tide mark strap them to a heavy rock. If they were really bad then they used cut the back of their legs and when the tide came in they would suffer. Their suffering was heard by all and it was a message to what happens to people who dishonoured the tribe. It is a little harsh but I'm guessing it was very effective.

11-09-2005, 02:12 AM	#11 (permalink)
WocusWoman N8tiffUmatillaMAMA Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Interior Alaska Posts: 2,737	I hope they throw the book at him, one less pusher around. If he's so traditional, he would not be using, shipping, selling mary jane. Period!

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