Smoke signals., August 15, 1997, Government Relations, Page 7, Image 7

August 75, 1997
SMOKE SIGNALS
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Tribes narrowly dodge Congressional bullet
By Justin Martin
This article shorn the current
Federal environment with respect
to Indian tribes and their sover
eignty. It looks specifically at pro
posed amendments to the 1998 Fis
cal Year Interior and Related
Agencies Appropriations bill.
An amendment affecting Indian tribes was
voted on in the House of Representatives
and went down to defeat by a vote of 2 1 6
nays to 208 ayes. The amendment was pre
sented by Representative Istook who is
from Oklahoma. In a direct attempt against
Indian tribes, Istook offered two amend
ments. The first amendment sought to prohibit
land being taken in trust unless tax collec
tion agreements are reached with local and
state officials. The second amendment
sought to prohibit any funds being spent
during the 1998 Fiscal Year to place land
in trust outside of a reservation. The first
of these amendments was ruled out of or
der, so it was not voted on, the second
amendment that was offered went on to a
debate and a vote, and eventually defeat.
The debate over this issue lasted approxi
mately two hours. Proponents of the
amendment focused their energies toward
the argument of "unfair" competition and
used the "we need to level the playing
field," viewpoint that has been heard over
and over again with respect to Native
American issues.
Opponents of the amendment cited sev
eral solid arguments such as the inappro
priateness of carrying this amendment on
spending bill, lack of hearings, state and
local veto over new trust land, sovereignty
issues, current statetribal agreements, and
finally Istook's allegations and intent to
wards Indian tribes.
In the Oregon House Delegation, all of
the Representatives, with the exception of
Rep. Bob Smith ( R ) voted against Istook's
amendment. Representatives Hoolcy,
DeFazio, Furse, and Blumenaucr (all Demo
crats) held consistent with the Indian inter
est. Unfortunately, with the onset of gam
ing, and tribes across the nation beginning
to achieve some success in gaining self-sufficiency,
this kind of threat will continue.
Other Congressional leaders that arc lined
up with Representative Istook, include Rep
resentative Archer, and Senator Slade
Gorton. These three will continue their quest
in getting at the sovereign tribes, one way or
the other. This is an important note for In
dian tribes to step up and take part in the
political process. Tribes need to be heard,
Senators and Representatives need to in
formed, and this is a task that needs to be
done to protect what treaties and Constitu
tional rights guaranteed the Indian popula
tions within this country.
There is a new threat that is currently in
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
These provisions have been offered by Sena
tor Slade Gorton of Washington, and infringe
upon Indian sovereignty. These provisions
try to damage the effort of tribes to gain
self-sufficiency by penalizing tribes who are
successful in their business ventures. The
seriousness of these threats are paramount,
and the tribes across the nation can not take
these lightly. After the Congress returns
from the August recess, more information
fear i ' u
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will be available about the direction of Slade
Gorton's action.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
made a trip to Washington D.C. in May to
educate and inform the Oregon delegation
of Native American issues. Also empha
sized during this trip were the gains that had
been made in striving toward self suffi
ciency, and the positive effects
that are coming from economic
development opportunities.
The Tribal Council has made
a devoted effort in keeping a
strong presence on the national
level to protect the rights of
their members, and Native
American people across the
country. With the help of other
tribes in Oregon, and around
the country, the Indian Nations
can remain strong and well rep
resented within the federal environment.
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TOP: Kathryn Harrison discusses tribal and Spirit Mountain Casino goals with Wally Tsueh, Legislative Assistant to Sen.
Gordon Smith. ABOVE: Members of Tribal Council attend meetings in Washington, D.C. with various government
officials.
Tribal Information Day highlights Legislative Session, continued from page 6
As the tribes in Oregon continue to ex
perience success toward the goals of self
sufficiency, the importance of being a part
of the political environment cannot be
stressed enough. The tribes must continue
to be present, and take part in all legislative
issues, that affect not only tribal interests,
but the interests of the surrounding com
munities in which they are located.
If the federal environment is any indica
tion, tribes will continue to be targets not
only at that level, but at the state, and local
levels as well. Some of the highlights of
the 1997 Legislative Session, were the
Tribal Information Day that was held on
May 22 during Oregon Indian Week, and
Fun Night at Spirit Mountain Casino.
The Tribal Information Day brought to
gether the Tribes in a celebration of cultural
heritage. The Information Day also allowed
for tribes to bring representatives from tribal
departments for the purpose of educating
citizens and legislators to the issues of Na
tive Americans in Oregon. It was great to
see all the diversity, and cooperation from
Oregon's tribes, as well as the interest of
the legislators and the community.
The day also saw the Governor signing
an Oregon Indian Week Proclamation,
which was attended by several Council
members. Then there were several speeches
given by Tribal Chairs on the front steps of
the capitol, and lunch provided by the Con
federated Tribes of Warm Springs. Repre
sentative departments from Grand Ronde
were: Tribal Council, Health and Human
Services, Natural Resources, Education,
Community Resources, Small Business De
velopment, Nanitch Sahallie, and Spirit
Mountain.
Fun Night at Spirit Mountain was an op
portunity for legislators and their staff to
get away from the Capitol for a while, and
more importantly to see the success of the
Tribe in their effort toward self-sufficiency,
and harmony within the community. Sev
eral legislators attended, and were able to
have a good time and relax while learning
about Spirit Mountain Development Corp.
and the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde. Representative Terry Thompson
discussed several issues with the Tribal
Council and showed that he was very im
pressed with the strides that the Tribe was
making, along with the positive role that the
Tribe is playing within his district.