February 20, 2003
IMlbes gather for winter corf ereece
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians tackle issues facing Native Americans throughout the region
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
Fifty-five tribes, including
the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs,
flocked to Pordand for the an
nual Affiliated Tribes of North
west Indians (ATNI) Winter
Conference last week.
For four days, various tribes
discussed key issues in the Pa
cific Northwest affecting tribal
self-determination and sover
eignty. Attendees, many tribal
leaders, broke into various com
mittees throughout the day.
Nearly 400 people attended.
ATNI President Ernie
Stensgar, of the Coeur D'Alene
Tribe, opened the conference by
outlining the challenges Native
Americans face. Many guest
speakers followed him.
The United States govern
ment is not living up to our trea
ties, is not providing health ser
vices and more, Stensgar said.
The national war crisis is felt on
our reservations, he added.
"My heart goes out to the
men and women involved," said
Stensgar.
He paid tribute to the Indian
warriors of the past.
"Past tribal warriors are the
reason we are here today. We,
too, have to step up and protect
our homeland," he said.
"We need to carry out the
aspirations of our last leaders."
Stensgar listed several com
ponents needed for a healthy so
cial model. Some examples in
clude housing resources, public
i schools that fulfill tribal needs,
preservation of dwindling natu
ral resources, and adequate
healthcare. All of these factors
are facing crisis situations in
Native American communities.
Bringing 55 tribes together to
find solutions and protect our
rights is the spirit of ATNI, he
said.
'ATNI has 14 committees
tackling tribal issues in the Pa
cific Northwest.
The committees are Culture
and Elders; Economic Develop
ment; Gaming; Telecommunica
tions and Utilities; Tourism;
Education; Health; Housing;
Indian Child Welfare; Law and
Justice; Natural Resources;
Transportation; Veterans; and
Youth. Each year the commit
tees agree on resolutions as a
focus for Pacific Northwest
tribes.
ATNI was established in
1953. Participating states are
Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana, and California. The
following were some key issues
discussed.
Opening speakers
Dave Tovey, ATNI's Eco
nomic Development Corpora
Kulongoski: tribes won't be forgot
Continutd from pugr 1
"I am fully committed to the
executive order and the law. It's
good for all people in Oregon
not just the tribes," he said.
The governor stated that he
would collaborate on tribal is
sues, such as natural burial
, grounds, gaming issues, and
water rights. 1 1c cited the recent
water rights agreement with
Warm Springs as proof of his
commitment. Kulongoski ex
pressed further collaboration on
law enforcement with the tribes,
especially in the courts.
"Oregon will stand with tribal
government to say that tribal law
stands," he said.
More federal money for
salmon restoration to ensure
ABOVE: Olivia Wallulatum shares the success of Senate Bill
speaks of BPA obligations to
"Treaty and trust
obligations cannot be
minimized due to eco
nomic factors.
My concern is that if
tribal treaty projects
are diminished, it will
set a bad example."
Jody Calica
tion (EDC) president, gave a
brief report.
ATNI EDC recognizes the
need to build partnerships be
tween federal, state, and tribal
governments to have effective
economic development. One
example is EDC's program to
provide loans for tribal mem
bers. "We have lent out $800,000
to tribal businesses," he said.
Tourism, he said, is the way
of the future.
Mark Marchand, ATNI first
vice-president and Colville Res
ervation tribal member, spoke
of the outcomes of economic
growth.
"We are almost getting what
we want. We are going down
roads we've never been down
before. But with growth, come
management problems and a lot
of other issues."
W Ron Allen, ATNI execu
tive director and Jamestown
S'Kallam tribal member, and
Stan Speaks, Bureau of Indian
Affairs Northwest Regional Di
rector, updated the audience on
BIA reorganization and trust
reform. Speaks listed some
staff changes.
Three deputy secretaries
were created in the BIA, said
conservation of tribal resources
was also listed.
This would be a pivotal
move in light of Bonneville
Power Administration's planned
cuts in funding to Fish and Wild
life programs.
"The history between the
feds and the tribes is shameful,"
he said.
Kulongoski wrapped up his
speech with a few words about
the economy in Oregon, tying it
in with reservation hardships.
I Ie specifically cited high rates
of poverty, unemployment, and
child hunger as offshoots of a
troubled economy,.
Measure 28 not passing will
cut an additional $100 to $200
7 .N l ;
the tribes.
Speaks. There are now five po
sitions for the secretary of the
interior, which used to be two.
Severity-five trust officer posi
tions are located nationally.
"Don't think of it as a reor
ganization but a restructuring,"
said Speaks of BIA changes.
Allen spoke of BIA efforts
to minimize bureaucracy.
President's Bush's recent BIA
fund increases may be mislead
ing, explained Allen. Specific line
items, especially important to
the Pacific Northwest, were cut
to increase BIA trust reform.
"Basically, we're taking
money from the left pocket and
putting it in our right," said
Allen.
Despite many tribal com
plaints, Ross Swimmer, who was
recently nominated as Special
Trustee for American Indians in
the Department of the Interior,
will likely be approved, said
Allen.
Wrapping up the morning,
John Dossett, National Congress
of American Indians general
counsel, spoke of the impor
tance of positive media for In
dians, especially regarding casi
nos. He referred to the recent
TIME magazine article on In
y.tv m .; w .
Gov. Kulongoski chats with an ATNI attendee after his speech.
million, he said, Umatilla Reser
vation faces unemployment
rates of 17 percent, he said.
"I will not forget the unem
488. BELOW: Jody Calica
, . ft r-
!; 1 M X
dian casinos as "unfair covcr
,ae." .
Dossett encouraged the au
dience to attend the NCAI Win
ter Conference in Washington
D.C.
At the same time, Congress
will be in session. He encour
aged Indians to stop by Congress
to help educate officials on the
benefits of casinos for Native
Americans. "It's more important
than ever for them to hear your
side," he said.
Culture and elders
The Chcmawa Indian School
in Salem faces a controversy
over tribal burial grounds with
the federal government. The
cemetery is found on the 400
acres of property considered
school grounds. Over 200 stu
dents are buried there.
SuAnn Reddick, a volunteer
historian at the school, presented
a resolution to the committee.
The student cemetery has been
deemed "underutilized" by the
BIA. The property is not pro
tected because it has not been
placed in trust.
Reddick argued the land was
purchased by student earnings
from picking hops and could be
considered tribal land. She asked
ployed
vowed.
and I mean it," he
conomic recovery in-
eludes the nine tribes of Oregon
too, he added. I le recognized
that the ATNI tribes take ac
tion to put the land "in trust."
Creating a land trust would pro
tect the burial grounds at the
Chemawa Indian School.
Olivia Wallulatum and Louie
Pitt, Jr., of Warm Springs Gov
ernmental Affairs, shared the
success of Senate Bill 488. The
bill makes it illegal to use the
word "squaw" in names of geo
graphical locations in Oregon.
Two men, employed by the
Federal Communications Com
mission (FCC) in Washington
D.C, attended the Culture and
Elders Committee meeting.
The FCC provides wireless
licensing and tower facilities na
tionally. They proposed an agreement
that they said would further pro
tect historical property on res
ervations and ceded lands. His
torical property includes tradi
tional, religious, and cultural
sites.
Education
Tribal members in Washing
ton, fluent in their native
tongues, are now allowed to re
ceive a teacher's certification
from their tribe.
Last year Oregon tribal mem
bers were granted the same
right.
Students from Portland State
University shared the progress
of the Native American Com
munity and Student Center be
ing built on campus.
PSU plans to open the cen
ter in September. Lillian Pitt,
Warm Springs tribal member,
will design the totem pole. The
students successfully raised $4
million to build the center.
The principal of the
Chemawa Indian School shared
the successes of its unique edu
cational system.
Students are tested for their
level of proficiency in each sub
ject. They are then assigned a
class level, rather than grade.
Using this new system, 68 stu
dents graduated in 2002 com
pared to 37 students in 1997.
"We built our system on what
the students need," he said.
Natural Resource
Therese Lamb, Bonneville
Power Administration vice presi
dent, held a forum to explain
motives for the dramatic cuts
to their fish and wildlife pro
gram in 2003.
The BPA plans to trim nearly
half of its expenditures for its
fish and wildlife program in ef
forts to balance their budget.
The planned budget is (139
million, reduced from $244 mil
lion. 'There is a $1.2 billion gap
we need to fill," she said. "Our
costs have been higher than an
ticipated." The BPA gap was created by
the recent drought and inaccu-
in hard times
the dual citizenship of tribal
members. I Ie expressed his dedi
cation to opportunities for tribal
children on and off reservations
"You are sovereigns but also
citizens in Oregon," he said.
Faithful stewardship of re
sources, he said, is directly con
nected to a strong economy. I Ie
envisioned sustainable develop
ment, tourism and reliable part
nerships for small businesses in
Oregon as a means for tribes to
achieve self-sufficiency.
Both Oregon and reserva
tions need each other to achieve
a healthy economy. An example
of this symbiotic relationship is
Grand Rondc's Spirit Mountain
Casino, the biggest tourist at
traction in Oregon. Spirit Moun
rate assumptions of secondary
revenues.
BPA plans to increase rates
on Oct 1. Cuts, claimed Lamb,
have also been made inside the
company.
The cuts will reduce river
restoration projects by nearly
one-third. Many employees will
lose their jobs.
"You are a public agency that
needs to assess secondary effects
on the economy when you make
cuts," said an audience member
to Lamb.
Many attendees felt the BPA
didn't understand obligations to
their treaties to fund restoration
projects.
"Treaty and trust obligations
cannot be minimized due to eco
nomic factors," said Jody Calica,
BIA superintendent for the Nez
Perce Tribe.
A brief presentation on the
Hanford Reach Contamination
site in Idaho was also given.
Hanford is a plutonium waste
site created by the federal gov
ernment during the Cold War.
It is the most contaminated site
in North America.
The ground water in the sur
rounding area is already contami
nated. Eventually the water will
flow to the Columbia River. Ra
diation levels will be 100 times
the allowable level in 2020.
"Let's tell the feds it's unac
ceptable to not clean it up,"
urged Greg DeBruler of Co
lumbia Riverkeepers.
Gaming
Ernie Stevens, Jr., chairman
of National Indian Gaming As-
sociation (NIGA), attended the
cbnferenc'e an Portland. He
,' ' spoke on two occasions. j
Despite growing media criti
cism of casinos, tribes across the
country are using revenues to
build communities.
A few examples of casino
money put to good use are new
healthcare centers; reservation
schools; recreation centers; po
lice stations; and the institution
of many governmental services.
All improvements, due to casino
money, are keeping NIGA busy,
he said
One success in the last year
was NIGA efforts to maintain
tribal interests in campaigns. US.
tribes' freedom to make cam
paign donations was being
threatened in Congress.
NIGA's efforts to educate
Congress about finance laws
prevented the Campaign Fi
nance Reform amendment
from being offered.
Last week NIGA hosted a
Winter Legislative Summit in
Washington D.C. Over 30 mem
bers of Congress attended and
spoke about issues important this
year. In turn, NIGA addressed
several issues important to the
tribes with the Congressal mem
bers. tain Casino, he said, "gives to the
economy." As a result, many
off reservation businesses
flourish. He closed his speech
with a few words about Oregon
treaties.
"We're all better off if we
fulfill our commitments to the
treaties," he said.
Afterwards Pitt told the
crowd, " As you can see we have
a communicator here. We have
a governor with cars."
Gov. Kulongoski, who wore
a shirt from an Oregon tribe,
was presented with a Pendleton
jacket and three blankets.
ATNI is a non-profit organi
zation dedicated to promoting
tribal self-determination and
sovereignty.
a.pM