Traditional, modem
American Indian panel
confronts major issues
By Mike Anderson
And Dave Banks
Of th» CmtrtM
Issues confronting American Indians brought
lecturers and panelists from around the country
for a symposium entitled "Tribal Governments in
Transistion: Coming Full Circle." held Friday and
Saturday at the University
Sponsored by the Native American Student
Union. Oregon Law Review, and eight other
University and community organizations, the
conference concentrated on traditional tribal
governments and Indian law
The governments are going through a "form
of evolvement," said Russell Jim, president of the
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and a
representative of the Yakima Tribe
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934
created three separate orders — the Indian Reor
ganization Act Governments (IRA), the executive
order, and treaty tribes, he said
There Is a dichotomy between what the Indians
know is sacred ground and what the Federal
Government has sectioned off to various tribes,
said Wayne Little Whiteman of Montana's North
ern Cheyenne tribe
Before the coming of the white man, there
was a strong treaty between the Arapahoe, Sioux,
and Cheyenne tribes, Little Whiteman said The
three nations have just recently started a new
cycle in their relationship, he added
Traditional as well as modern tribal govern
ments are headed by the chief, Little Whiteman
said
The six tribes,” of which his is a member,
represent the "oldest continuously operating
governing body in the world," said John Mohawk,
a member of the Seneca trjbf jtpd, edUor of
Akwesasne Notes
His tribe has no IRA government and is ruled
by the Great Law of Peace, he said In his tribe,
the women choose the chief according to clans,
and the chiefs represent the women s families,
Mohawk said
All decisions are reached by consensus,"
he said But they must be in accordance with the
great law "
In his government, women have power as
women, they don't have to scrape and bow like
men." he said
We pick our leaders on the basis of their
ability to offer spiritual leadership." Mohawk said
The IRA government was created by the white
man because he needed it He saw that there were
profits to be made by exploiting the Indians and
their land
“Congress can abrogate Indian rights with the
stroke of a pen," he said "Today, we (native
Americans) have one foot on a banana peel and
one foot in the middle of nowhere We are sitting
on the edge of extinction."
Panelists representing commercial, sport,
and Indian fishermen presented conflicting opin
ions Saturday, on Indian treaty fishing rights.
These rights, which guarantee native Americans
the right to fish and hunt have raised political and
environmental questions.
Government is the problem, said Bob Hud
son. former executive director of the All-Coast
Commercial Fisherman s Union The conflict
between the users is "a lot of horseshit," he said.
"Our ancestors knew when to quit fishing,
and they knew when to save They were natural
economists,” said Leonard Tomaskin, chairer of
the Yamikma Nation General Council.
The Indians have been wrongly accused of
overfishing, he said, adding that constant turmoil
has been caused by dam construction and by
legislation approved without Indian consent.
"Today the Indian is always on the defen
sive," he said
The Indian's fight to fish is a fight for all
things, including protection of the water, timber,
and grazing, said Nathan Jim of the the Columbia
River Intertribal fishing commission
Many sport fishermen believe it is unfair that
Indians maintain the right to 50 percent of the fish
caught when this minority group does not consti
tute 50 percent of the fishermen, said Jim Reid, an
author and conservationist representing sport
fishermen.
“I hope we can all cooperate. I really don’t
want to be around when we harvest the last fish
and have to decide who gets it," Jim said
Federal legislation is imposing on the In
dian's right to regulate and govern their resource
development, said Peter Maxfield, University of
Wyoming law school dean, in another Saturday
session on mineral resources
“The Indians have suffered a terrific loss
because of the inadequacy and federal oversight
of mineral operations on Indian lands,” he said
Because of the federal mismanagement of
resource development, the Indians need to
regulate their own oil production, Maxfield said
“The resources are theirs, the power and
authority are theirs, and they couldn’t possibly do
worse than their trustees in managing their af
fairs," Maxfield said
The federal government's method of govern
ing, calling for one representative per every 350 to
1000 persons is absurd and should be one for 50
persons, said Vine Deloria. politxal science
professor from the University of Arizona and
author of the best-selling book Custer Died For
Your Sins Indian sovereignty will greatly help the
cause, he said
"Sovereignty is a unified expression, a con
sensus of viewpoints by Indians and a communi
ty-minded attitude," Deloria said "It is not hiring
an attorney to go to court and say these people
are sovereign
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