President Obama’s Tribal Nations
Meeting
President Obama’s written prom
ise that he would meet personally
with the leaders of the 564 federally
recognized Tribes was delivered to the
Tribes on Oct. 14 during the 66lh Annual
Conference of the National Congress of
American Indians in Palm Springs, Calif.
As promised, the historic White
House Tribal Nations Conference with
the president and the federally recognized
Tribes was held in Washington, D.C., on
Nov. 5, 2009.
Because of the expected number
of attendees, the meeting was held at
the Department of Interior. 1 arrived at
6:45 a.m., joining hundreds of people who
were already waiting. The meeting started
at 9 a.m., chaired by Secretary of Interior
Ken Salazar.
Newly elected NCAI President
Jefferson Keel of the Chickasaw Nation
introduced President Obama - to a stand
ing ovation.
1 appreciated the thoughtful way the
president addressed critical Indian issues,
especially because of his many other
pressing demands, i.e., the devastation of
our nation's economy and health systems,
the urgent need for decisions on Afghani
stan and other issues around the world.
Despite these pressures, the president
took the time to commit himself to address
critical Tribal issues and the strengthening
of the nation-to-nation relationships be
tween the federal and Tribal governments.
1 would like to share with you some
highlights of the president’s remarks. He
said, in part:
“It’s now been a year since the Ameri
can people went to the polls and gave me
this extraordinary privilege and responsi
bility. And part of what accounts for the
hope people felt on that day, 1 think, was a
sense that we had an opportunity to change
the way Washington worked; a chance to
make our federal government the servant
not of special interests, but of the Ameri
can people. It was a sense that we had an
opportunity to bring about meaningful
change for those who had for too long been
excluded from the American Dream.
"... We know the history that we
share. It’s a history marked by violence
and disease and deprivation. Treaties
were violated. Promises were broken. You
were told your lands, your religion, your
culture, your languages were not yours to
keep. And that’s a history that we’ve got to
acknowledge if we are to move forward.
We also know our more recent
history, one in which too often Washing
ton thought it knew what was best for
you. There was little consultation between
governments ... 1 know that you may be
skeptical that this time will be any differ
ent ... And I know what an extraordinary
leap of faith that is on your part ... and
that’s why 1 want you to know that I'm
absolutely committed to moving forward
with you and forging a new. a better,
future together. It’s a commitment that’s
deeper than our unique nation-to-nation
relationship. It’s a commitment to getting
this relationship right, so that you can be
full partners in the American economy,
and so your children and your grandchil-
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Siletz News
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Health Services and other agencies that
have critical roles to play ...
"But if we’re going to bring real and
lasting change for Native Americans, we
need a comprehensive strategy ... Part of
that strategy is health care. We know that
as long as Native Americans die of ill
nesses like tuberculosis, alcoholism, dia
betes, pneumonia and influenza at higher
rates than the rest of the population, then
we're going to have to do more to address
disparities in health care delivery.
“We invested $500 million under the
Recovery Act to strengthen and modern
ize the IHS and that’s why my budget pro
poses an increase of 13 percent in IHS.
Delores Pigsley
Chairman’s Report
»I , V
« *___ k
dren can have an equal shot at pursuing
the American Dream.
“I promised you a voice on my senior
staff in the White House so that you'd have
a seat at the table when important decisions
are being made about your lives, your na
tions and your people. And that’s why 1
appointed Kimberly Teehee of the Chero
kee Nation as my Native American policy
advisor; and Jodi Gillette of the Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe to work directly with all
of you. That's why Secretary Salazar and I
selected Larry Echo Hawk of the Pawnee
Nation to serve as Assistant Secretary for
Indian Affairs here at Interior ...
“I promised you we'd host this con
ference to develop an agenda that works
for your communities because I believe
Washington can’t - and shouldn’t - dic
tate a policy agenda for Indian country.
.. Today’s summit is not lip service.
Today’s sessions are part of a lasting
conversation that’s crucial to our shared
future ... If we're going to address the
needs of Native Americans in a compre
hensive way, then we've got to mount a
comprehensive response.
"... A major step toward living up
to that responsibility is the Presidential
memorandum that I'll be signing at this
desk in just a few moments ... The memo
randum I’ll sign directs every Cabinet
agency to give me a detailed plan within
90 days of how - the full implementation
of that executive order and how we're go
ing to improve tribal consultation. After
all, there are challenges we can only solve
by working together and we face a serious
set of issues right now.
“... We face our economic crisis,
in which we took bold and swift action,
including in your communities. We allo
cated more than $3 billion of the Recovery
Act to help with some of your most press
ing needs, like rebuilding and renovating
schools on reservations across the country
... We provided more than $100 million in
loans to spur job creation in tribal econo
mies ... And we made sure my budget
included significant increases in funding
for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian
December 2009
“When it comes to creating jobs,
closing the opportunity gap and leaving
something better for our future genera
tions, few areas hold as much promise as
clean energy. Up to 15 percent of our
potential wind energy resources are on
Native American land and the potential for
solar energy is even higher... Under Sec
retary Salazar's leadership, we’re looking
for new opportunities to ensure that you
have a say in planning for the transmission
grid. We're streamlining and expediting
the permit process for energy develop
ment and transmission across tribal lands.
We are securing tribal access to financing
and investments for new energy projects.
And thanks to the Recovery Act, we’ve
established an Energy Auditor Training
Program that could prepare Native Ameri
cans for the green jobs of the future.
“But the future of Indian Country
rests on something more: the education
we provide our children. We know that
Native Americans face some of the lowest
matriculation rates and highest high school
and college dropout rates. That’s why the
Recovery Act also includes $170 miUnon
for Indian education - and $277 million
for Indian school construction. And that’s
why my budget provides $59 million in
advanced funding for tribal colleges that are
often economic lifelines for a community.
"... And none of our efforts will take
root if we can't even guarantee that our
communities are safe - safe places to
learn, safe places to grow, safe places
to thrive ... so tribes need support in
strengthening their law enforcement ca
pability. They need better resources and
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more training ... And my administration
fully appreciates the complexity and
challenges you face when it comes to the
criminal justice system on tribal lands.
But we need to have serious conversations
with regard to all aspects of your public
safety and that’s a conversation my ad
ministration is committed to having.
“So this is a challenge we take very
seriously ... The Department of Justice,
the Department of Interior, the Depart
ment of Homeland Security and the De
partment of Health and Human Services
are all working on ways to empower tribal
governments to ensure greater safety in
their own communities.
“... I also strongly support the Tribal
Law and Order Act and 1 thank Chair
man Dorgan and Representative Herseth
Sandlin for their leadership on this issue.
And 1 look forward to Congress passing
it so I can sign it.
.. So there’s a lot of work to be done
today ... Over the last few years, I’ve had
a chance to speak with Native American
leaders across the country about chal
lenges you face and those conversations
have been deeply important to me ... Even
though our experiences are different, I un
derstand what it means to be on the outside
looking in. 1 know what it means to feel
ignored and forgotten and what it means
to struggle. So you will not be forgotten
as long as I'm in this White House.
“Together, working together, we’re
going to make sure that the First Ameri
cans, along with all Americans, get the
opportunities they deserve. So, with that,
if I'm not mistaken, I am in a position to
start signing the memorandum ...”
The president concluded his speech
by filing the presidential memoran
dum directing every Cabinet agency to
present a detailed plan within 90 days of
how it proposes to better collaborate with
Tribal governments.
The day before the presidential ad
dress, Tribal officials were invited to
spend a full day with all members of the
president’s Cabinet (except for the Sec
retaries of Defense and State) and with
several members of the U.S. Congress.
At the end of the day, the president
returned to close our meeting which,
understandably, was cut short because of
the Ft. Hood disaster.
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