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."
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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.