Smoke Signals
4
Bureau of Indian Affairs Apologizes for Tradition of Abuse of Indians
Poverty, ignorance and disease have been the product of this agency's work, BIA Official says.
SPOKANE, WA. (AP) The head
of the Federal Bureau of Indian Af
fairs (BIA) apologized recently for
the agency's "legacy of racism and
inhumanity" that included massa
cres, forced relocations and attempts
to wipe out Indian languages and
cultures.
"By accepting this legacy, we accept
also the moral responsibility of put
ting things right," said Kevin Gover
in an emotional speech marking the
agency's 175th anniversary.
Gover, a Pawnee, said he was apolo
gizing on behalf of the BIA, not the
federal government as a whole. Still,
he is the highest-ranking U.S. offi
cial ever to make such a statement
regarding the treatment of American
Indians.
The audience of about 300 Tribal
leaders, BIA employees and federal
officials stood and cheered as a teary
eyed Gover finished the speech.
46
Never again will we seize your children, nor teach
them to be ashamed of who they are. Never again,"
Kevin Gover
Bureau of Indian Affairs
"I thought it was a very heroic and
historic moment," said Susan Masten,
Chairwoman of the California's
Yurok Tribe and President of the
National Congress of American Indi
ans. "It is important for us to begin
to heal from what has been done
since non-Indian contact."
Although Gover's statement did not
come from the White House, President
Bill Clinton's chief advisor on Indian
issues, Lynn Cutler, said Gover sent
her a copy of his speech and the White
House did not object to it.
Gover recited a litany of wrongs the
BIA inflicted on Indians since its cre
ation as the Indian Office of the War
Department. Estimates vary widely,
but the agency is believed responsible
for the deaths of hundreds of thou
sands of Indians.
"This agency participated in the eth
nic cleansing that befell the Western
Tribes," Gover said. "It must be ac
knowledged that the deliberate
spreading of disease, the decimation
of the mighty bison herds, the use of
the poison alcohol to destroy mind and
body and the cowardly killing of
women and children made for trag
edy on a scale so ghastly that it can
not be dismissed as merely the inevi
table consequence of the clash of com
peting ways of life."
The misery continued after the BIA
became part of the Interior Depart
ment in 1849, Gover said. Children
were brutalized in BIA-run boarding
schools, Indian languages and reli
gious practices were banned and tra
ditional Tribal governments were
eliminated, he said.
"Poverty, ignorance and disease
have been the products of this
agency's work," said Gover.
Gover claimed that currently 90 per
cent of the BIA's 10,000 employees
are Indian and the agency has
changed into an advocate for Tribal
governments.
"Never again will we attack your
religions, your languages, your ritu
als or any of your Tribal ways," said
Gover. "Never again will we seize
your children, nor teach them to be
ashamed of who they are. Never
again."
Grand Ronde Housing
Director Honored by Peers
Linda Layden named the Indian Housing
Authority's Executive Director of the Year.
Tribe Fights Charges of Gambling Offenses
By Chris Mercier
She began with an entry-level po
sition for the Salem Housing Author
ity. Now, years later, Linda Layden
is the Indian Housing Authority's
Executive Director of the Year.
Layden received her prestigious
plaque in September at the North
west Indian Housing Association's
Annual meeting and awards ban
quet in Port Angeles, Washington.
She has been the Executive Director
of the Tribal Housing Authority since
its inception in 1996, and spent the
two years before that establishing the
program and recruiting a staff. The
award is a personal milestone, com
ing on the heels of her successful
completion of the Elder's housing
development.
"I was shocked," Layden said. "And
I was pleased. I really didn't expect
it at all. It is nice to know that there
are people who think so highly of me."
As Director of the Grand Ronde
Tribal Housing Authority, she over
sees numerous projects and opera
tions that assist Tribal members. The
Home Repair Grant and the Down
Payment Assistance Grant fall un
der her guidance, as did the Grand
Meadows Manufactured Home
project. But she still feels a sense of
profound pride with the Elder's hous
ing development.
"That was one of the most reward
ing experiences I've had," she said.
"It touched people's lives. It allowed
people who have come from not-so-good
situations to live out their lives
in dignity."
Ultimately, the award is icing on
the cake for Layden, who found her
way into a career in housing by co-
! a
til
LINDA LAYDEN
incidence more than two decades ago.
Layden received a degree from West
ern Oregon State College in the
1970's in criminology, but became
quickly disenchanted when she
found the field to be overly stressful.
She then began her career with the
Salem Housing Authority, and since
then has worked for the Vancouver
Housing Authority, the City of Al
bany and the City of Corvallis
dabbling in housing development
and home repair. She also moved
nearly everywhere she worked.
But Grand Ronde has been espe
cially good to her.
"I just love my staff, the Tribe, the
area," said Layden, who now lives in
McMinnville with her husband.
"Things have just been great."
And now, perfect?
"Oh, I've still got work to do. . ."
Congratulations Linda, from all
of us at the Grand Ronde Tribe.
LINCOLN CITY, OR. (AP) - The
National Indian Gaming Association
has backed the Siletz Tribe in its fight
against charges from the top national
Ameridan Indian gambling ' regula
tory agency that it violated federal
gaming laws. '
Association officials contend the
National Indian Gaming Commission
overstepped its authority in June
when it accused the Siletz Tribal
Council of misusing net' gaming rev
enues by accepting $138,000 in gifts,
dinners and show tickets at Chinook
Winds, the Tribe's casino.
The commission also ordered Tribal
Council members to repay the money
to the casino and proposed the Tribe
be fined $10,000.
A lawyer for the Confederated
Tribes of Siletz Indians appealed the
federal violation notice in July, call
ing the allegations an intrusion into
the Tribe's business decisions.'
Members of the national associa
tion recently adopted a resolution de
fending the practice of providing
complementary services, saying it is
well accepted and widespread in the
gaming industry.
Last month, the commission re
quested that a presiding official con
duct a federal hearing to review the
charges and proposed fine.
Recently, Siletz Tribal officials re
quested a Senate oversight hearing
on the case. So far, neither hearing
date has been set, said Craig Dorsay,
Siletz Tribal attorney.
Corrections
Smoke Signals apologizes for the following errors and oversights in the last issue:
B A community meeting was held on Sept. 29 for the use and design of the Cultural
Site Area located by the pow-wow grounds. Any community or Tribal members inter
ested in the next stage of the Cultural Area, please look in the Oct. 15 issue for further
information.
B The 5th Annual Community Health & Safety Fair will be held on FRIDAY, OCTOBER
27 from 1-4 p.m. at Grand Ronde Elementary School.
B The Happy Birthday announcement below has been corrected.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
TO THE -f '
CHILDREN OF pi
FREMOND& I I l
LAVERNE BEAN. S V
GRANDCHILDREN OF 1 ' J
MARGARETMENARD 3
AND THOMAS BEAN. ' I J
v
S
f
Ellen, Tom and Donna