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Smoke Signals August 1990 Page 15
Oregon Tribes Aid
The Yurok Transition Team, of Eureka, California was
mandated by public law 100-580 to study and investigate
all aspects of tribal development and operation. The
goal was to enable the Yurok people to identify the most
effective, successful and unique methods to develop and
operate their own tribal government.
In the. Yurok Settlement Act, Section 10, the Economic
Self Sufficiency Plan (ESSP) was to be completed within
two years of the date the Settlement Act was enacted on
Oct. 31, 1988. Because the BIA and the Team are in the
initial stages of conducting this ESSP, we identified
three near-by Tribes: Klamath, Grand Ronde and Warm
Springs; who have created or are in the process of
creating an ESSP. We felt that it was necessary to
investigate what steps those Tribes took in conducting
their ESSP, the type of budget they needed and need to
implement their plan, how they operate tribal govern
ment, and what they would do differently if they could
start over again. Some of the most important highlights
from this learning experience are outlined below.
- Communication is Kev
All three Tribes emphasized the importance of com
munication, between tribal government and Tribal
members; between the levels of tribal government and
between tribal government and outside entities (e.g.
localstatefederal govt.) Communications through
regular community meetings, tribal staff meetings,
newsletters, committee activities, radio shows and
especially video presentation were recommended.
You need to know what you want.soyou don't
have to take whatever is pushed your way.
Planning is crucial to Tribal development and opera- -tion,
as it enables a Tribe to seek its own vision rather
than just reacting to outside activities. The Yuroks
learned that the first step in any planning process is to
gather baseline information. All three Tribes took that
first step of data collection which then culminated in a
"Needs Assessment Survey" of their Tribal members.
These surveys identified Tribal needs in housing, health,
education and employment.
Once an understanding of tribal needs and available
resources is acquired, the legislative bodies (Tribal
Council) can identify the overall Tribal vision and set
policies.
Once policies are in place, the executivemanagement
staff can carry out the day-to-day operations. This
planning process insures that all layers of Tribal govern
ment are accountable to the vision of the Tribe. It also
fosters a stable Tribal government.
Comprehensive Needs Assessment
It is key to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment
of your membership to determine such things as average
, income, unemployment rate, education levels, as well as
', i what type of jobs, income and economic development
! 5 the membership wants.! This is one of the first steps in
! tribal development planning. The Team has already
i conducted a housing survey and is developing a health
! survey.
Include vour Cultural values in all areas.
The Yuroks also found out that it is important to work
your own unique cultural values into every phase of
Tribal development and operation. It was strongly rec
ommended that they do this starting now, rather than
trying to go back later and get input.
Stable Government is crucial to success
All three Tribes stressed the need for a stable govern
ment system, both for having a functional tribal govern
ment as well as for establishing credibility in the world.
Yurok Transition
A variety of ways were recommended to achieve this
stability.
1. Establish Tribal Vision first.
2. Separate legislative and executive powers in the
constitutions you can keep council members from
reaching into program management. All three Tribes
emphasized that the Council makes policy, while
, management carries it out.
3. Continually define legislative versus executive and
' administrative roles during the day-to-day operations. '
4. Create staggered, 3 year council terms and keep
overall council size small .
5. Provide "due process" to Tribal members in all '
operations. v
Cooperation versus Confrontation
Your ability to negotiate within Tribal structure as well
as with outside groups will play a big part in how fast
you are able to develop. If you are able to create a
"team" atmosphere, then your projects will go more
smoothly and you will be acting on your own vision
rather than reacting to a series of confrontations. Both
Warm Springs and Grand Ronde said that courts are
always a last resort for them. They still fight, they just
fight fair by incorporating due process and communicat
ing constantly with all who are involved.
Make BIA IHS part o f vour team
Both Warm Springs and Grand Ronde bring BIA and
IHS into their team as players from the start. Warm
Springs actually rents a part of their Tribal Office space
to the BIA. Both Tribes said it is best to work from the
local up to the national level; they will bump you back
down to the local level for review, and your project will
be delayed.
Ifvou want to be treated like a government.
then act like one
Warm Springs and Grand Ronde both maintained that
it strengthens sovereignty to show that you have your
own vision, your own unique culture and your own
process to meet the needs of your members.
Conclusion
The trip to Oregon was educational as well as inspira
tional. For example, Warm Springs Tribe brings in
about 8 million dollars annually, only a small fraction of
which comes from federal sources. However, they didn't ,
get there overnight. It took them 150 years and a lot of
blood, sweat and tears, and even now they work hard for
their successes.
We have seen that the potential of a Tribe is tremen
dous in this day and age, and we have also learned of the
need for careful planning prior to taking actions. All
three Oregon Tribes commented on the unique oppor
tunity the Yurok Transition Team "era" offers the
Yurok People. A two-year period focused on (among
other things) the acquisition of baseline data will enable
the Interim Council to initiate Tribal development from
a strong foundation.
Throughout the tour, we were greatly impressed by the
gracious hospitality of all the Tribal Council members
and staff people that we had the opportunity to talk with.
This trip was extremely helpful for both the Team and
the BIA. Now we can understand the mistakes that
other Tribes have made; and learn from this rather than
trying to re-invent the wheel. From this trip the Team
hopes to initiate the development of a plan of action the
Yurok Tribe an ESSP that they can take all the way to
the bank.
-courtesy of Yurok News
Bachelor of Science
Degree in Forestry
at the School of Forestry
Northern Arizona University
Native American Forestry Program
The undergraduate forestry program at Northern
Arizona University is unlike any other forestry program
throughout the country. It is unique in that the second
two years of study are multiresource oriented rather
than specialty-oriented. The first two years of study are
used to meet general University regulations and pre
requisites for entrance into junior level forestry courses.
This includes basic course work in the biological and
social sciences, quantitative and communications skills,
and introductions to traditional forestry applications in
measurements, dendrology (tree identification), man
agement, and policy. As juniors and seniors, students
pursue a specialized integrated forest management
program consisting of three semester-long, 16-credit
courses of continuous, integrated, and team-taught
instruction.
The multiresource instruction has three semesters.
The first professional semester emphasizes the study of
forest ecology, silviculture (the development and care of
forests), forest products and services. The second
semester consists of managerial aspects of decision
theory, finance, economic, political, and social analyses,
and the technical aspects of natural resource manage
ment. In the third semester, students collect multire
source inventory data in the field and prepare a compre
hensive multiresource management plan.
For undergraduates, financial aid can be acquired by
applying for a Pell Grant or scholarships offered by
NAU which can be obtained by calling or writing to Vita
Allison or Patricia Sprengeler, Office of Student
Financial Aid, NAU, P.O. Box 4108, Flagstaff, AZ.,
86011-4108; telephone (602) 524951. The Office of
Student Financial Aid is located in Room 308 of the
Gammage Administration Services Building. Also
students are encouraged to apply for financial assistance
from their tribal organizations.
Admission to the School of Forestry undergraduate
program is based on completion of all prerequisites,
grades, and recommendations. The Native American
Forestry Program will assist incoming undergraduates to
identify their course of study and orient them to current
organizations on NAU campus for academic advisement
and social activities.
For further information, contact either Dr. Ron
Trosper, Director, at (602) 523-6653, or Randy Roberts,
Program Coordinator, at (602) 523-6143.
Back to School Gathering
All returning and new students, the Tribal Education
Program will be sponsoring our 1990-1991 Back to
School gathering on September 7, 1990 at the Cheme
keta Community College, Salem, Oregon; Bldg. 3, Rm.
105. Times for this workshop will be 9:00 am to 3:30
pm. If you have questions regarding your application,
financial aid, class registration or want to share experi
ences regarding school, please plan on attending. If you
want more information, please call Dean Azule at 879
5211. Lunch will be provided and parents are welcome
to attend! See you on Sept. 7th!