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Sachem Great Elk Dancer

Sachem Great Elk Dancer

Grand Sachem Great Elk Dancer For His Elk Nation - Hereditary Chief of the Notoweega Nation

Website URL: http://https://www.facebook.com/dancing.elk.3

Ohio AG Raids Hocking Co. Casino, Owner Claims Sovereignty

LOGAN, Ohio - An alleged illegal casino was closed in Hocking County Friday.
By: Denise Yost, Multimedia Content Manager - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Agents with the Ohio Attorney General's Office served a search warrant at the Red Door Casino at 44 E. Main St. in Logan Friday afternoon.

Agents removed gaming machines from the business. 

"The people that do go in there and gamble it's nothing major maybe $5 here, $10 dollars there," said Logan Resident Jacob Keister looking on. 

The search warrant was served as part of an ongoing investigation regarding allegations of illegal gambling at the location. 

The owner claims the raid isn't your typical raid on a suspected illegal gambling joint.

"This is in retaliation for operating as a tribal people," said Marshall Lucas who goes by the name Dancing Elk.  He tells NBC4's Denise Alex that he is a member of the Notweega nation. 

That's where the raid, where computers, televisions, gaming machines and cash that were seized, gets more interesting.

Ohio BCI agents and member of the Ohio Investigative Unit spent about 4 hours seizing items from the Red Door on East Main Street in downtown Logan. The business owner says he is being unfairly targeted because he's a member of the sovereign nation.

"They have no right to enter our property.  This is sovereign property.  We are non-reservation Indians. We are operating a sovereign business," added Dancing Elk.

 He says the Notweega nation is a Native American tribe that governs itself.

 Ohio BCI agents say the Logan native is breaking the law.

"There's several different variables that actually makes it illegal but some of the cash pay outs and some of the things they were doing, allegedly going on are suspected at this establishment," said Special Agent Supervisor Scott Fitch. 

Tribal members say they are misunderstood.

"Insult to injury would be the best to describe the scenario right now," said Karmelita Plains Bull.

"They are stealing our property, the are destroying our property. We've been dealing with this for over 5 years now," said Dancing Elk.

 Dancing Elk took NBC4's Denise Alex inside the Red Door after police cleared the scene.

 Newspaper articles taped to the wall tell the Red Door's battle to stay open for business.

Dancing Elk claims to be harassed for years by many Logan city leaders and has $20 million dollar lawsuit against them pending in federal court.

 No arrests were made in Friday's raid, but officials said charitable law prosecutors with the Ohio Attorney General's Office will decide on charges.

will decide on charges.


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Community and Campus Days exhibition explores music of Ohio River Valley

Ohio University Outlook This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ATHENS, Ohio (Oct. 16, 2006) -- The music of the Ohio River Valley was the theme of Ohio University's fifth annual 2006 Community and Campus Days and it's safe to say that the topic was explored to the fullest. Paschal Younge provided a display of African instruments. Photo by Pat Cambridge.

On Saturday, Oct. 14, the annual Community and Campus Days exhibition was held at Old Nelson Banquet Hall and featured table exhibits that included everything from books, paintings, photographs and other artifacts that displayed some of the history of people of color in the area. 

Many of the display tables displayed musical instruments used by people in the region whose origin can be traced to Africa such as the banjo, dulcimer and various types of drums.

Patrons were entertained throughout the day by local musicians and singers who performed folk, jazz and gospel music. Several Ohio University students performed a Copoeira exhibition for the audience. Copoeira is a martial arts form that originated in Brazil that combines dance, acrobatics and music with fighting techniques. The club at Ohio University meets on Saturday at 2 p.m. on the College Green. 

Zelma Badu-Younge leads African dances to music provided by her husband Paschal Younge. Photo by Pat Cambridge.Ohio University couple Paschal Young and Zelma Badu-Younge performed traditional African music and dances with the aid of some of their students. 

Two Native American exhibitors from Ohio, Marshall Lucas of Logan, and Richard Haithcock of Beavercreek, performed some of their tribes' traditional dances and songs for the audience. Lucas was representing the Notoweega tribe while Haithcock is a member of the Suponi tribe. They explained to the audience that they are cousins to each other and many of the local Native American population are members of tribes that migrated to Ohio from the Carolinas.

Other exhibitors included Athens area residents Ray Abraham, Mildred Vore and Richard Greenlee. Abraham's table displayed many old records and CDs from some of the great African American entertainers and a collage of many of Athens' accomplished African American citizens. Vores' table held a collection of old church hymnals as well as other music paraphernalia. Greenlee, chair of Ohio University's Department of Social Work, performed on his banjo and shared information about the origin of the banjo in Africa on his display table.

A photo of the Heritage Chorale from their Friday night concert. Photo by Pat Cambridge."The day got off to a good start when the Heritage Chorale gave a rousing performance of ["Lift Every Voice and Sing"] the Negro National Anthem this morning," said coordinator of the African American Research and Service Institute Deanda Johnson. "We had some nice new exhibits, including two from local Native American groups. There was also some great music performed. Next year, we want to build on this year and will likely focus the Community and Campus Days events on the women of color in the Ohio River Valley because many of their accomplishments have been overlooked."

Representatives from Ohio University's College of Medicine were also in attendance, providing free blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar level screenings. 

Opening ceremonies included statements by master of ceremony and Ohio University Professor Vibert Cambridge, Athens City Mayor Ric Abel, Provost Kathy Krendl and Vice President of the Multicultural Genealogical Center Robert Daugherty.

"Community and Campus Days 2006 was probably the best we've had in terms of programmatic content," Cambridge said. "This was an extremely powerful year for the event starting with Thursday's presentation by Art Cromwell. The displays were absolutely fantastic. It was surprising to see all the artifacts that related to music in the Ohio River Valley. In terms of substance, this event was very powerful."

Community and Campus Days culminate on Tuesday, Oct. 17, with a 7:30 p.m. performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans at Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium. For tickets, call 740-593-1780.

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Skilled gaming charges dropped

By LESLIE GRAY Logan Daily News Reporter This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LOGAN — Charges of “skill-based amusement machine prohibited conduct” against a local business owner have been dismissed.

Marshal Lucas, aka Chief Dancing Elk, pleaded not guilty to the charges (first-degree misdemeanors) in January after a search warrant was conducted at his business — Mingo Trading Company — in December of last year during which three games of skill machines were confiscated.

In July 2010, the Logan Police Department received an e-mailed complaint that the business was giving cash payouts for games of skill machines. The LPD contacted the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Undercover agents from the office investigated the claims and on two occasions, Nov. 9 and Dec. 9 of 2010, were given winnings with cash.

Hocking County Prosecutor Laina Fetherolf said Lucas’ charges were dismissed because the case is difficult to process.

“The statutes are not well-written. There’s no differentiation in defining whether Mr. Lucas as the business owner or the clerks are guilty of the offense,” Fetherolf said.

Although Lucas did not give the undercover investigators cash winnings himself, two of his clerks did and the statutes do not clearly define who is held responsible, Fetherolf continued.

The prosecutor’s office dismissed the charges without prejudice, which means the state can refile the charges at another time.

In previous correspondence, Lucas told The Logan Daily News he believed the machines complied with state law and was upset by the way the search warrant was executed. He also said he has suffered a major loss of revenue to his business as a result.

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