Spilyay tymoo., February 08, 1983, Image 10

Spilyay Tymoo
February 8,1983
James Watt addressing N CAI
Interior Secretary James Watt and NCAI Chairman Joe
DeLaCruz.
Remarks o f Secretary o f the
Interior James Watt To the
N a tio n a l C o n g re ss o f
American Indians Executive
B oard W ashington, D .C .
January 25,1983.
years and we’ve got to bring
a b o u t change. Now th a t
change is only going to come in
one way and that is that the
Indian country leaders have got
to carry their message to the
Congress of the U nited States. I
have a trust responsibility, Ken
Smith has a trust responsibi­
lity, and our people have a trust
responsibility. We will not be
calling for major reform of
anything. We will carry out the
duties and obligations set forth
Executive Council
a provision that will provide a Bureau of Indian Affairs cause
hundred million dollars a year we believe in reservations.
to build roads on Indian T hat’s Indian land, not Federal
reservations. (Editor’s Note: land, that’s Indian land. And it
BIA will receive $75 million in should stay that way and there
FY 1983 and $100 million a should be no bureaucrat in
year for the next three fiscal Washington running that, it’s
years). You have never had that your land.
But the President wanted to
before. We’ve listened, Joe.
We focused our attention on have input in that, he wanted to
water. For those tribes from the be involved in that policy. He d
Western part of the country maxe commitments in the
particularly, water is the crucial campaign to different Indian
issue. And I’ve not seen another groups and he wanted to be
Administration ever be willing sure that his Indian Policy
to face up to the water reflected those promises and
problems, but we have. And we those commitments and he saw
move at the pace that the tribal to it that it does.
W e w ill d e a l o n a
government has asked us to
move. We will not ' force government to government
anything on them. T hat’s the basis. We will honor your
P re s id e n t's sta te m e n t of elected officials and we will see
that our energies are given to
yeaterday and last week.
We’ve focused on education; bring about the solutions that
I think the root problem. I are needed. And Joe and Phil
app reciated L in d a ’s (M iss and Scotty have agreed to help
NCAI) remarks last night as identify the leadership from
well. Linda talked about the Indian country. And let me tell
future generations. If we have you, most of it is going to come
compassion, if we have a heart from Indian country, not from
for Indian people we’ve got to Washington, D.C. And we will
bring about change. We’ve got bring about the changes that
you want brought about at
to b r in g a b o u t b e t t e r
education. When I look at the your pace.
But there must be change if
unemployment and the other
we’re going to give Linda and
social problems, we’ve got to
her future generations some of
address those problems.
the opportunities and changes
Now yesterday I had what I
that some of us who are older
thought was a very successful
didn’t get. And I’m not happy
m eeting w ith J o e , y o u r
when 1 look at the record of
chairman. I met with the
what this Federal Government
c h a ir m a n o f th e tr ib a l
has done to and with the Indian
chairman’s group, Phil Martin,
people. And while I spoke out
and I met with Wilfred Scott. I
Thank you for letting me
come. I spoke to your Bismarck
group and had not intended
and never planned that I would
speak today. Ken was going to
share with you some things,
and yet because of the
confusion I thought it was
important that 1 appear.
“A nd ifm y words have caused hurt—and I understand last night from the visits 1
There has been tremendous
avuse, tremendous confusion had when I was with the several hundred that were there at that CER T (Council of
and there need not have been Energy Resource Tribes) meeting that some have been hurt and I apologize for that
any. I have traveled and I’ve hurt.”
'
'
\
! I
visited some of the reservat­
ions—not all of them. But 1 have
thought we had a good I’ve been given abuse by the
listened for two years. Joe in the treaties and the statutes meeting. We dictated a letter. press. Terribly abused by the
of
this
country.
But
that’s
not
(DeLaCruz) says he doesn’t
good enough. I don’t think In fact I sent the three of them a press. And when Joe looked at
know whether his remarks had
letter that they helped me the TV tapes as several of you
an impact on the Indian policy- th a t’s good enough. The dictate. It’s nice to get a letter have, he said “I don’t know
-J o e they did. We heard and problems are there.
Now other political leaders that you helped dictate because what the big deal is about, it is
we listened.
then you’re sure it says what what you said in Bismarck.” It
I’m the first Secretary of the have chosen to sweep the you want it to day. And Joe it is. It is what I’ve been told as I
Interior to have ever visited the problems under the rug and said what you wanted it to say. travel and as the Indian
pretend they don’t exist. They
N a v a jo R e s e r v a tio n - - th e
And said that we would be glad le a d e rsh ip has com e to
largest reservation. I cannot have put them there and said, to work with you as you folks Washington. They’ve told me
believe that one who carried the “well things are getting better, a identify the problems.
of these problems and I’ve
trust responsibility for the little bit more money here and a
As we work with the elected reflected them. Your leadership
Indian people would not have little bit more money there, but tribal leaders and others from has testified before Congress­
visited the largest Indian things will get better.” They tribal governments we will ional committees for years and
reservation. But I was told that have not gotten better. And address the problems. And that years and years and yet the
I was the first to visit it and the there’s only one way to bring Ken Smith and 1 will dedicate problems are not solved. We’ve
about change in America. And
first to address their congress.
the time to work to solve the thrown money at some of the
I was the first Secretary of that’s to call attention to it and problems. But we will carry out symptoms and not addressed
the Interior to visit the second be honest enough to face up to our trust responsibilities. We’ll
largest tribe—Cherokee Indian the truth. And the truth is that try to bring change, but the the I cause.
have given you an
Nation. We met with all the Indian governments—the tribal burden is yours. You must opportunity; don’t muff it. I’ve
g
o
v
e
r
n
m
e
n
ts
—h
a
v
e
b
e
e
n
chiefs of the Oklahoma tribes
given you an opportunity at the
at Tahlequah, I was the first abused by the United States identify the problems, you cost of personal abuse that I
Government for decades if not m ust b rin g fo rw a rd the
Secretary to go to that Indian
hope none of you will ever have
country and I listened and I a hundred years. And that solutions.
to endure. I’ve taken the abuse
W
hen
y
o
u
’ve
identified
needs to be changed and I
listened intently and I’ve taken
of the press and some of your
the abuse of a few who were c a n n o t ch an g e it a lo n e . those problems to me as I have people who attack ed my
Congress must do it. And we’ve traveled and as I’ve visited with
there seeking political attention
you in Washington, meeting motives, my thoughts, my
asked for some changes.
and headlines and notoriety,
after meeting after meeting, deeds and my actions. I’ve paid
Both
Ken
and
I
have
focused
but those were the few.
our attention within the law we’ve heard. And Ken Smith a price. But I have given this
Most of the Indian leaders I
group and the leadership of this
have met have a compassion in a n d w ith in th e t r e a t y chaired the working group that group more attention, more
wrote
the
Indian
Policy
that
obligations
to
bring
a
response
their heart for their people.
to the message we’ve heard was submitted to the President o p p o rtu n ity to focus the
And I ’ve worked with those
attention of the American
people, I’ve listened and yet fro m th e le a d e rs h ip —the for his approval.
And, yes, Joe, we tried to get people and the Congress of the
elected tribal leadership. And
you folks have been abused.
we’ve tried, and in some areas to announce it in October in United States at solving your
And if my words have caused
we have been marvelously Bismarck. I thought I was problems. I have worked for
hurt—and I understand last
two years with this same
successful and in some areas we going to announce it then. message,
night from the visits I had when
and because o f
h aven’t even dented the Then we tried to get different unprofessional press conduct
I was with the several hundred
meetings
together,
but
the
surface.
that were there at that CERT
But one of the issues that I President was determined that it was blown out of shape, lied
(Council of Energy Resource
learned when I bounced along he would have input. While about, but one thing it did do­
Tribes) meeting that some have
the roads when I was on the Ken is principally responsible it got a tte n tio n . And it
been hurt azuf / apologize fo r
Navajo Reservation, Peter for writing it and did most of it- increased attendance at this
that hurt.
McDonald—I know he sent me -and he did listen to Joe and he meeting, Joe. And I ought to
But I don’t apoligize for the
on the worst roads he could listened to the others. And by get credit for that because most
message because the Indian
find, but he did it anyway. And the way, for the press, Ken Secretaries of the Interior
people of America have been
because of our leadership we Smith is the first Indian from a sweep you under the ground-
abused by the United States
put in the President’s program reservation to ever head the under the ground is about
Government for too many
right, isn’t it—under the rug
and try to put on a lid and say,
“ le t’s hope th a t nothing
happens in Indian country.” !
want something to happen in
Indian country. I want to solve
problems. I want to help
people. Now I have drawn the
attention of America to the
multiple problems and maybe I
used some unartful language,
buy boy, I got attention.
The problems are yours
friends. We will respond, we
will carry out our trust
obligations. And if you want to
change those, it’s your show.
We will be responsive, we will
respond to your initiative. No
other Secretary has ever given
you the platform that I have
given you in the arena. I ’m not
important in the course of
history, but I’m concerned
about those young Indian
people that need an education,
that need to be given an
opportunity for jobs, that
haven’t even been born and
that will be born as we prepare
for the 21 st Century.
Let me talk to you about
education. I was supposed to
take 8 minutes and run, but,
boy, you have got me wound up
here, I want something to
happen.
Education, I believe in public
education. I don’t believe in
government education. I think
that those people living on the
reservation are better able and
have more concern about their
children to run their schools
than does some government
official in Washington, D.C. I
believe in local schools. And
you look at the record of the
BIA school system and it’s not
as good as it should be. I don’t
care how good you think it is; it
is not as good as it should be.
And I would like to have better
education and I think that
Indian government leaders,
th o se w ho live on the
reservation, have a better
understanding for the children
on that reservation than do a
bunch of people like me here in
Washington. And that’s the
challenge I give to you. T om e
the most important is«np
education.
And we’ve addressed some
problems and we’ve had some
marvelous succeses. W e’ve
had some stunning failures. But
friends, you’re given a golden
opportunity, and let me just say
something here based on what
I’ve had to go through the last
few days—if this opportunity is
not picked up by Indian
leadership I don’t know that
y o u ’ll ever get a n o th e r
Secretary of the Interior to
address the Indian Problems.
In fact, if these problems are
not picked up and solved with
the introduction I ’ve given you
to the Congress of the United
States, the forces on the Hill
will sweep it under the rug like
they’ve done for the last several
decades. D on’t let them do it.
Your people deserve better
than the Federal government
has given them. Your people
deserve a chance. They deserve
an opportunity. The problems
are severe. I’m willing to
address them with you. I’m not
willing to address them without
you.
Thank you very much.