Native American lawyer
calls for awareness
Lawyers working with Native Americans have
a responsibility to be aware of the clients’
cultural values, says Lew Gurwitz, a Massachu
setts lawyer who represents Native Americans.
He stressed the need to speak out on issues
affecting Native American values and to be
aware of the long-range effects of legal activi
ties.
Those decisions affecting Native Americans’
use and control of resources on their land
particularly must be made in accordance with
their distinctly land-based culture.
Gurwitz speaking at the Law School Thursday
in a noontime lecture emphasized that Native
Americans’ rights are reserved by them, no
matter what legal or political actions the U.S.
government may take.
Gurwitz stressed that Native Americans’ rights
are reserved by them, no matter what legal or
political actions the United States government
may take.
"Aboriginal rights can be given away, but they
can never be taken,” he said.
Gurwitz referred to Native American reserva
tions as “the Bank of America,” saying that
energy corporations logically exploit foreign
reserves in a time of economic prosperity,
believing that the reservations’ supplies would
be available when others ran short.
As a result, increasing pressure is being put
upon Native Americans to sell their rights to
lands they reserved for themselves generations
ago in treaties with the U.S. government.
Gurwitz also underscored the need for repre
sentatives of Native Americans to withdraw from
cases rather than contribute to actions which
undermine the dwindling remnants of Native
Americans and culture in this country.
To receive more information, or to get in
volved with these and related issues, contact the
Committee on Native American Struggles, care
of the National Lawyers Guild, 686-3883, or the
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee at the
Pacific Northwest Resource Center on Agate
Street
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Atiyeh
Continued from Page 1
"It didn’t suprise me,” Atiyeh
says. “It didn’t bother me. As a
matter of fact, I wasn’t offended
at all. They do what they do. I
was invited to go, and as long as
I was invited, I went.
"I didn't ask to be invited, and
the students had a right to raise
a little hell with me and I had a
right to go there and speak.”
But one group of people has
never had cause to raise hell
with Atiyeh — Oregon’s Native
Americans. Dennis Mulvihill,
executive secretary of the Com
mission on Indian Services,
says the Atiyeh administration is
one of the best Native Amer
icans have ever dealt with.
"His name comes up every
commission meeting, and
there's always kudos thrown his
way. He was one of the prime
sponsors of the bill that created
the commission. When he
became governor, he immedia
tely assigned one of his top
people as Nason.
"He has an open-door policy
— if we ask, he's always got the
time.”
When asked to explain his
affinity for Native Americans,
Atiyeh is short.
‘‘I like them. It's not very
complicated. That’s it.”
Pressed to explain, the
governor says he saw a need
and worked to provide a solu
tion.
"Understand, my goal is that
we all have the same privileges
and responsibilities. But there’s
a need for somebody to reach
out and build a bridge so they
can cross.
"Indians have a special prob
lem. I’m not sure even they
know exactly where they are. By
that I mean they're a separate
nation within a nation."
According to University law
Prof. Charles Wilkinson, who
teaches Native American law,
Native Americans aren’t drifting
much. While Native Americans
are committed to getting along
with the majority culture, they
don’t want to be swallowed up
by it, Wilkinson says.
"Their culture is an evolving
one. It’s sure to borrow from
those around it. But Indian peo
ple, taken as a whole, have
shown that they don’t want to
take that final step of merging.
"And it’s been shown prag
matically that it just doesn’t
work."
Atiyeh still hesitates.
“I think there may be some
who want a separate nation,
some that want the benefit of
both worlds and some that don’t
want to be involved a* all. But I
don’t think I could say it as firmly
as that."
Turning to energy, Atiyeh
acknowledges that his is an
economic approach
"I believe we need power for
jobs. I think these are two words
that are inseparable.
“There are people graduating
from high school in Baker, Ore.
Some aren’t going to college,
and maybe they’d like to live in
Baker. Why shouldn’t there be
jobs in Baker for people who
want to live there?
“We need to produce power
to create jobs. I personally
believe it’s better to err on the
side of too much production of
power than on the side of not
enough.
“If there’s not enough energy,
there won’t be jobs."
The governor admits there is
no future for nuclear power in
Oregon and says he’s commit
ted to new generation sources.
Atiyeh is on record as sup
porting additional coal-fired
thermal plants.
Portland General Electric's
1979 lobbyist Doug Heider
served on Atiyeh’s steering
committee when he was a can
didate. Rep. Rick Bauman, D
Portland, says that fact demon
strates Atiyeh’s leanings.
The governor says having
Heider on his campaign com
mittee creates some suspicion
about his ability to deal with
power issues objectively.
“People are going to be su
spicious of almost anything, and
everything will be seen as poli
tically motivated. I can’t escape
that. All I say is prove it. If you
believe it, prove it.”
But as a politician, isn’t most
anything Atiyeh does political?
“No. You won’t believe that.
But I’m giving you the answer.
As a matter of fact, people have
told me that I’m just not political
enough.”
As to what role government
should play in providing money
and services to people who say
they can’t provide it for them
selves, Atiyeh says the state’s
programs have been guided by
a faulty principle.
“Government is really not
helping people when it gives
them things. We believe it, but
we really aren't.
"Let me give you a personal
example. There was an old-time
salesman who worked for my
dad When I took over the busi
ness, he was still there. As he
got older, he just got lazier and
worked less. He’d come in,
needing $25 or $10 or $50, and
I’d give it to him. Finally, a friend
of his and mine said, ‘You’re not
helping him.’
“And all of a sudden, I
realized that I wasn't. All I was
doing was making him weaker.
And I think that’s a general rule
of government. What’s hap
pened is we’ve made people
weaker, not stronger.”
'k'k'k'k'k'kiyk'Syk'k*4*4*
INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
CHRISTIAN, JEWISH, MUSLIM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17,1981
7-8:30 P.M.
KOINONIA CENTER 1414 KINCAID ST.
Open discussion of questions and perspectives from
these three Western faiths, with Dick Beswick and
Norm Metzler (Christian), Alice’ Kinberg (Jewish) and
Reza Benham (Muslim).
Jjlf ALL ARE WELCOME! .jAf
Wr Sponsored by
Campus Interfaith Ministry