Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1998)
News 3 Northwest Tribes meet in Montana to make a difference October 15, 1998 Story and photo by Oscar Johnson Grand Ronde Council mem bers were among scores of delegates in attendance at an annual Northwest Native conference on Montana's Flat Head Indian Res ervation set to develop strategies and address a variety of issues affecting Indian Country. The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians' (ATNI) 45th Annual Con vention was hosted by the Confeder ated Salish and Kootinai Tribes the week of September 21 drawing rep resentatives from Tribes throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, south east Alaska, Northern California and Western Montana. Council members, Kathryn Harri son, Ed Larsen, Leon "Chip" Tom, Val Grout and Ed Pearsall were on hand representing the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as delegates from ATNI's 43-member tribes. Al though it was difficult for represen tatives from all the attending tribes to attend every session, Council stressed how important they thought it was to represent their tribe. "I think when we go out on busi ness to represent our Tribe it's im portant that we be there," said Tom. Council also said they felt well re ceived by other delegates who showed interest in Grand Ronde's effective relationship with local, state and federal government. "I think it's nice to see where we sit. We are approached by a lot of leaders asking us what we think not just because of the money but for the savvy we've shown," said Harrison. ATNI formed in 1953 to unite Northwest tribes in their struggle for sovereignty, self-determination and cultural as well as treaty-based rights. The Portland-based non-profit orga nization meets regularly to share in formation, facilitate tribal govern ment needs and develop regional con sensus and strategies on issues of mutual interest. At last month's convention mem bers elected new executive board members, drafted new committee resolutions and developed strategies aimed to tackle vital issues such as those affecting Native American natural resources, veterans, health, education and housing. In addition to representing Grand Ronde, Grout and Tribal Government Secretary, Lauri Smith worked on ATNI's annual Election Committee while Harrison served as the Com mittee Chair. Wendell Henigan of the Yakima Tribe was elected 1st Vice President, Mike Marchand of the Coville Tribe was elected 3rd Vice President, and Paula Wallis of the Umatilla Tribe was elected as Treasurer. Conference speakers included Deputy Assistant Secretary to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Michael Anderson; BIA Portland Area Director, Stan Speaks; Direc tor of the National Congress of American Indians, Leland McGee; and Deputy Director of Indian Health Services (IHS), Michel Lincoln. During the conference dozens of resolutions were hashed out in order to develop a unified Native voice. However Grand Ronde Council members were of one mind that the goal would be better met if ATNI members spent less time focusing on individual tribal issues and more on overall issues effecting all of Native America at the federal level. According to Larsen, "the political issue is the No. 1 priority." Among the dozen ATNI commit tees that met during the four-day con ference, the committees on culture and Elders as well as gaming received widespread support from Grand Ronde representatives. During the September 21 Culture Elders Committee meeting partici pants mostly focused on what was identified as a widespread problem of "Elder abuse" in Native America. Some youth and young adults take advantage of the generosity and hos pitality of their Elders leaving them with little food, money or peace after holding frequent late night parties in the homes of elder relatives, reported many participants. Although Grand Ronde members had no such stories to share, Council Chair and Kwelth Tahlkie Culture Board member, Harrison briefly out lined Grand Ronde's struggle to build a museum and cultural center noting that, "having been a terminated Tribe, we have a lot to do." Many Tribes also reported on the successes and benefits derived from developing cultural programs. Projects such as The Pilgrimage, a traditional "spiritually-based" drug and alcohol treatment program imple mented on the Spokane Indian Res ervation, and the annual Power Paddle, a tradition-based intertribal canoe trek from Vancouver B.C. to Puyallup, Washington, have re awakened cultural integrity while countering social ills, according to other participants. Later that afternoon ATNI's Gam ing Committee brainstormed on ef fective ways to counter what one committee member termed the con tinuation of the "Indian Wars" against a much needed economic source in Indian Country Native gaming. Summing up the legislative on slaught against Indian gaming by Re publican Representatives combined with uninformed assumptions about Native Americans and tribally-owned casinos, the committee identified the need for Tribes to work together as a regional lobbying block on Capitol Hill while maintaining Indian gaming's record of integrity for self regulation both as an act of sover eignty and as proof of its viability. While an onslaught of anti-Indian gaming bills continually proposed in Congress have lead many to regard the days of tribally-owned casinos are numbered, Pearsall advocated that ATNI not buy into the idea. He noted it is not enough that tribes fight to ben efit from gaming while it lasts but it is "our sovereign right to have gam ing as a permanent part of a tribe's economy. "It's part of our permanent eco nomic development," Pearsall later explained. "It's here to stay and we'll fight to support it I think it's im portant." Similar to topics addressed in ATNI's general sessions, the Gam ing Committee not only spoke of tribal sovereignty but of the sover eign right of individual tribal mem bers to vote for local, state and na tional offices and issues. Both ATNI officials and Council expressed their desire to see tribal members voting on issues affecting Tribes, especially since fewer non Indians are voting allowing members' votes to carry more weight. "We need to teach our people who to vote for," Grout said. "To know who is Indian-friendly and who is not." A '4 V , ' " ' ' i i . V v Grand Ronde Tribal Council members join other Northwest tribal representatives in sharing concerns at the CultureElders Committee meet ing during the ATNI 45th Annual Convention held in Montana.
