Smoke Signals
Tribes Gain Influence in legislative Process
10 AUGUST 1, 2001
SALEM, OR. (AP) Native
American Tribes were more" involved
in the 2001-2003 Legislative session
than ever before, and Tribal leaders
say those efforts paid off in the pas
sage of key bills and better political
relationships.
With new resources from gaming
and resorts, Tribes this session spent
more time and money hiring lobby
ists and educating lawmakers. They
also spent tens of thousands of dol
lars in campaign contributions last
year to increase their influence.
As a result, the Legislature passed
a record number of bills relating to
Indian culture, including a ban on the
word "squaw" in the public place
names and a bill creating a Native
American languages teaching license.
"The time and the effort in the government-to-government
process has
really made Native Americans a
stronger player within this process,"
said Justin Martin, Director of the
Intergovernmental Affairs depart
ment of the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde.
Senator Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day,
said many Tribal members are on a
first-name basis with legislators for
the first time in 10 generations. He
said they were asked to consult on
issues such as land use and cultural
resources.
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66 The "time and "the effort in the j
government-to-government process
has really made Native Americans a
stronger player within this process."
Justin Martin
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Legislators and their staff are be
ginning to understand that Tribal
members also are residents of Or
egon and do not solely deal with the
federal government, said Karen
Quigley, Director of the Legislative
Commission on Indian Affairs, which
acts as a liaison between Tribes and
the state.
One example was the passage this
session of Senate Bill 770, which ex
tended an executive order from Gov
ernor John Kitzhaber calling for in
creased relations between state and
Tribal leadership.
The order, which originated in 1996,
will now continue beyond Kitzhaber's
term in the form of a statute.
Quigley said the new law is the
first of its kind in the nation and that
she has had requests from other
states and Tribes to speak "about it.
"The reputation, nationally, that
Oregon has is a model of how state
and Tribal relations works well," she
said. "Oregon is becoming nation
ally known as a place that tries to
work it out."
This session, Tribes worked hard
to show lawmakers that they are not
"the equivalent of tavern owners,"
when it comes to laws affecting gam
bling and casinos, said Quigley.
As a result of that communication,
in part, all three gaming-related bills
introduced this session died in com
mittee. During the 2000 campaign cycle,
the Grand Ronde gave more than
$84,900 an amount similar to
communications giant Qwest and
lobby groups such as the Oregon
Realtors Association, according to the
Money In Politics Research Action
Project.
The donations, which were $28,000
more than last cycle's, were not di
rected at any one party or cause.
"It's a well-thought-out effort that
is intended to amplify our voice in
the process," said Martin.
The Confederated Tribes of
Umatilla, Cow Creek Band of the
Umpqua, and The Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs also spent
money on lobbyists this session, ac
cording to the research group.
"We were afraid to step in and ask
anything because the doors were al
ways closed," said Arlita Rhoan, a
Sahaptin Language Teacher on the
Warm Springs Reservation. "Our
culture doesn't lead us to reach out
for handouts, but today's world is
asking us to stand up and speak out
for what we need."
American Indian Looking to Prove She's Among Nation's Best Players
INDIANAPOLIS, IN. (AP)
Kayla Lambert's numbers shine
about as clearly as the six champi
onship rings of her favorite basket
ball player, Michael Jordan.
But Lambert's numbers are some
thing even Jordan would be proud
to call his own.
In the past two seasons, she's av
eraged an astounding 42.2 and 37.1
points a game and is within 132
points of setting Montana's high
school career scoring record.
At the Nike All-America Camp in
Indianapolis, though, she will not be
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In the Paint Montana schoolgirl Kayla Lambert is
one of the top girl's high school basketball players in the
nation. Lambert recently brought her 42 points a game
scoring average to an elite basketball camp in Oregon City.
one of the highest-profile athletes
among the 80 high-school girls in
attendance. She, instead, will be out
to prove she belongs among
America's best players.
"There will probably be a lot of the
top players down there," said Lam-.
bert, of Brockton. "All I can do is go
out and play my hardest."
Lambert's exploits are hard to ig
nore. As a sophomore, she scored 65
points to set Montana's single-game
record, then broke the record again
last season with 66 points.
Already Lambert has
led her father's team to
the state's final four
and was named
Montana's Gatorade
Player of the Year. Un
til this summer, though,
college coaches weren't
exactly flocking to her
doorstep.
"It's picked up a lot,
especially with the
phone calls," she said.
"Coaches are calling
now, talking 10 or 15
minutes and the letters
have increased, too.
They want to know if I
want to stay in state,
mostly."
Still, Lambert is not
bothered by the lack of
attention, which some
attribute to her back
ground as a member of
the Dakota Sioux Tribe.
American Indians ac-
count for about 1 percent of the total
population in the United States but
only about half that percentage com
pete in college athletics.
The perception is that it's hard to
recruit Indian athletes and harder
to keep them in school, although one
college coach said that image might
be changing.
"Maybe in years past that was a
big issue because there was a lan
guage barrier and that sort of thing,"
New Mexico Coach Don Flanagan
said. "Most players travel now."
Flanagan understands better than
most because he coached high-school
basketball on an Indian Reservation
before taking the job with the Lobos.
Yet in seven years as coach of New
Mexico, Flanagan has had just one
American Indian play for him.
"Most are guards, and there just
aren't a lot of post players," he said.
'It's not that we don't recruit Native
Americans; it's just that they don't
fit sometimes. We would love to have
a Native American play for us."
Including one with as much poten
tial as the 5-foot-8 Lambert, who
Flanagan said he is recruiting.
Lambert's background is an ex
ample of how much things are
changing for American Indians.
She's lived on six reservations be
cause her parents' jobs as educators
have kept the family moving.
She will play in Indianapolis and
also is scheduled for an event in Or
egon City and she insists that dis
tance will not dictate which college
she chooses.
But that does not mean the adjust
ment to college life will be an easy
one.
"A lot of Native Americans come
from the reservation, where it's very
close-knit, guarded and communal,
to a life of complete independence,"
said Notah Begay III, who spent part
of his life living on a New Mexico
Indian Reservation before attending
Stanford and becoming a profes
sional golfer. "It's hard to find oth
ers who look like you or that grew
up in similar settings."
Begay has taken time out of his
busy golf schedule to meet with Lam
bert in an attempt to prepare her for
what to expect.
"He's told me about the press,
mostly, and that sort of stuff," she
said. "I enjoyed spending time with
him."
Lambert's also hoping her skills
will give her the opportunity col
lege basketball that she's been pre
paring for since she first started
shooting baskets at age 4.
Lambert's list of finalists includes
Montana, Montana State-, Arizona,
Washington, Iowa and New Mexico,
a result of the attention her numbers
have started to attract.
What college coaches want to see
now is whether Lambert will shine
against some of the nation's top tal
ents, a challenge Lambert said she's
ready to accept.
"I'm just focusing on going to col
lege, playing ball and showing ev
erybody, especially back home, that
they can do it too," she said. "I want
everybody back home to know that
if I can do it, they can do it, too."