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COMMUNITY
INDIAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRADITIONAL VALUES
The struggle to maintain traditional values and lifestyles
while creating economic opportunities for Indian tribes
was the focus of a two day symposium sponsored by the
University of Oregon Native American Student Union in
Eugene on February 8 & 9, 1988.
The "American Indian Economic Development and
Traditional Values," conference included perspectives
from many tribes across the United States and focused
on the importance of retaining traditional economies,
and discussed issues relating to jurisdiction, tribal
politics, natural resource development, and federal, state
and local government roles in economic development on
and near Indian reservations.
On many reservations, economies centuries old still
exist. These economies once created self-sufficient
Indian nations, but today face an uncertain future due to
numerous obstacles. "Are we preparing ourselves
enough for what we're going to give up?" questioned
Coville Tribal Chairman, Mel Tonasket, whose tribe has
seen traditional lifestyles changed by the construction of
the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in
Eastern Washington.
The construction of the dam, in the 1930's, took away
the fishing livelihood of the peoples and created a lost
feeling with them, said Tonasket. Their major source of
food was gone, and their traditional homelands were
flooded due to the reservoir created by the dam.
On the mid-Columbia, traditional ways of survival are
also threatened. "Fishing has been my life," said Johnny
Jackson, a chief of the mid-Columbia Tribes. "We have
more than a fishing right, said Jackson, "but our religion
and traditional way of life are not recognized," he said.
Today the mid-Columbia River tribes face a limited fish
resource, extensive regulation of their Treaty rights, and
possible removal from their fishing sites which they
consider their homelands.
"We are the most restricted in many ways and catch the
least," Jackson said about fishing on the Columbia
River.
"Everything is in that sheep," said former Navajo Tribal
Chairman Peterson Zah, describing the foundation for a
subsistence economy for many Navajo families. Money,
food, rugs, etc., come from the sheep, said Zah.
In the 1970's the Klamath Tribe of Southwestern
Oregon was terminated. It's government to government
relationship with the federal government was ended, and
one of the richest tribes in the Nation lost its land and
control over their natural resources, said Klamath tribal
member Elwood Miller.
The Klamaths did retain their hunting and fishing rights,
but today the fish and game they depend on are declin
ing. Their fish resources have been destroyed by dams
which block spawning grounds and by disease from the
warmwater reservoirs the dams create. Today, two fish
species the people have depended on for centuries may
be added to the endangered species list.
A study by the Tribe also indicates that deer populations
are losing their average weight due to timber practices
in the area. It may take 10 to 30 years to restore the
habit for fish and wildlife and restore traditional econo
mies, said Miller.
The Klamath Tribe has recently regained federal
recognition. They have two years to develop a economic
development plan and submit it to Congress, according
to Miller.
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Former Navajo Tribal Charman, Peterson Zah.
"Its not going to be what they want, said Miller, "but
what we want." Economic development will not be put
ahead of our natural resources, or ahead of the cultural
and spiritual beliefs of our people, said Miller.
For over 300 Alaskan Native Tribes, economic prosper
ity was to come from the Alaska Native Claims Settle
ment Act. The 1971 Act established 13 regional and 250
village state-chartered corporations to create economic
development opportunities and utilize the natural
resources of the 44 million acres of recognized Alaskan
Native land. The Alaskan Natives were also allotted
shares of stock in the village and regional corporations.
The corporations hold the future of the Alaskan Natives
- their way of living, their land and natural resources.
But today "only eight percent of those employed in the
corporations are Alaskan Natives," said Eric Morrison,
Tlingit, and "there is no economic development being
realized from the shares."
In addition, one of the regional corporations has gone
bankrupt and others may do so. In 1991, shareholders
would have been allowed to sell their stock to non
Indians and corporations, however, recent legislation
will avo!(i the selling of stocks.
Establishing and maintaining jurisdiction over tribal
lands is a major task for many tribes interested in
economic development. The issue of jurisdiction is
clouded by federal policies that began with the Dawes
Act of 1887, which divided tribal lands into individual
allotments. Many of the allotments were lost due to
taxation and the selling of the lands, which resulted in
non-Indians becoming land owners. This resulted in
checkerboard style reservations.
The Confederated Umatilla Tribes in Northeastern
Oregon is an example of such a reservation. With the
checkerboard patterned reservation, it is unfeasible for
the tribe to try and develop the agricultural potential of
the area. A land consolidation purchase program,
establishing land use policies, and agreements with the
federal, state, county and city governments on jurisdic
tion are priorities for the tribal government as it at
tempts to create economic strength for the Tribe.
Retaining tribal sovereignty is also important to tribes.
For instance, the Navajo Nation has established their
right to tax those on the reservation. Tax revenues in
the first year brought in $210 million for a tribal govern
ment which had annual revenues of $50 million in the
past 20 years before taxation, said Zah.
Coal and uranium are important non-renewable re
sources on the Navajo reservation. With these non
renewable resources, "we need to take care of today and
tomorrows needs," said Zah. When he was Navajo
Tribal Chairman, the tribal government established a
trust fund from the tax dollars the Tribe received. Each
year 12 percent of Tribal revenue is to go to the trust
fund. In 20 years the Tribe is expected to receive $400
million dollars annually from the interest on the fund,
said Zah.
Education of the young is seen as the most valuable
investment for the future and in developing stronger
Tribal economies according to many of the panelists.
When our people gain education, they lose the ability to
communicate with their own people, said Morrison,
pointing out a fear many tribal leaders have about the
kind of education their people receive.
To help alleviate such fears, the Navajo Tribe has
mandated that the Bureau of Indian Affairs and states
surrounding the reservation "must teach Navajo lan
guage, culture and tribal government, "according to
Zah, to "where you have the Navajo really being
Navajo," said Zah.
If the Indian culture was so good to us and has enabled
us to live as long as we have for hundreds of years then
why not teach it in school, then why not teach it at home
every day," Zah said. "It is a tool we can use to sur
vive." said Zah.