Smoke signals., March 01, 2007, Page 8, Image 8

.8 MARCH 1,2007
Smoke Signals
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ATNI President Ernie Stensgar (Coeur d'Alene), left, addressed the conference at the Grand Ronde-sponsored Awards Banquet Honoring Elizabeth Furse.
Seated from left are Tribal Vice Chair Angie Blackwell, former Grand Ronde Chairwoman Kathryn Harrison, Tribal Elder and former Tribal Council member
Margaret Provost and Tribal Council member Cheryle Kennedy.
ANTI continued
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no Indian legislators. "We've got to
keep at getting people to vote and
run," he said.
The end of the five-day confer
ence included agreement on 27
resolutions. One, for example,
supported Oregon state efforts to
recycle mercury from computers
and dental fillings. Another called
for Trust reform, seeking approval
for federal reforms introduced by
Senator John McCain and Byron
Dorgan in Senate Bill 1439, the
"Indian Trust Reform Act of 2005,"
though without provisions relating
to "the settlement of the Cobell
litigation," and including this time
"new authority for Tribal manage
ment of Tribal trust lands." A
third resolution supported legisla
tion that will allow Tribes to issue
tax-exempt bonds.
"We're monitoring a ton of those,"
said Tribal Elder and Council
member Wesley Buddy West who
She has been working on the
project at ATNI for four years, she
said, and it took her pushing to
get it on the agenda this session
to keep it alive.
Fort Vancouver is one of many
"We see the value of ATNI because it's
specific to the Northwest."
Valorie Sheker,
Tribal Council Member
I' xJ
Tribal Council member Wink Soderberg
submitted a proposal of his own,
Resolution 07-07, seeking federal
funding "to support a gathering
of traditional
and spiritual
healers." ATNI
supported the
resolution. West
also moved for
approval on the
floor of Resolu
tion 07-27, the
Trust Reform
Strategy men
tioned above.
Not all of the
action resulted
in resolutions,
however. Tribal
Council member
Valorie Sheker
helped ATNI's
Culture and El
ders Committee
approve a five
person board to
continue work on
aspects of Fort
Vancouver's re
design as an In
dian cemetery.
Indian cemetery and repatriation
issues coming up in the North
west as development continues
to uncover new unmarked graves.
That will mean the design and
development of new cemetery
facilities, a big job that may well
pay dividends to Indian artisans
in the Northwest.
"Within our four states we have
so many artisans," said Sheker.
"We'll look for members within our
Tribes to help us move forward."
And, to give you an idea of how
the process works, Sheker noted
that she has begun work on a Reso
lution to create a federal funding
source for dealing with new cem
etery and repatriation issues.
"It may take 10 years to go through,
but it's going to go through," she
said.
As the work of ATNI and its Tribes
grow, many different kinds of oppor
tunities also are surfacing for Tribal
members.
Mary Clare, Ph.D. and Director
of Lewis & Clark College's Oregon
Center for Inquiry and Social In
novation, put out a call for a Native
American Program Coordinator.
Mike Burton, head of ATNI's
Revolving Loan Fund, is "looking
for people who make economic
development happen in your com
munity." Activity has been grow-
o
1 1 J w v I
tf-tj-;;. ; t I
ing so fast, he said, the fund's size
doubled in the last six months.
Native Americans have the ear
of John Tester, new Democratic
Senator from Montana, said Den
nis Worden (Coeur d'Alene), the
Hatfield Fellow currently serving
in Democratic Portland Congress
man David Wu's office. "(Tester)
needs staff to work on Indian is
sues," said Worden.
Worden also provided the group
with a general legislative update.
Urban Indian health is on the
radar of many legislators, he said,
though funding overall is likely to
stay at 2006 levels. With the war,
there has not been a lot of atten
tion to domestic issues, but the ad
ministration will be naming a new
Bureau of Indian Affairs leader.
Among bills supported by Con
gressman Wu, said Worden, is
HR 545, that clarifies language
in a previous meth fighting bill so
that Indians are eligible for funds;