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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2011)
6 DECEMBER 15,2011 Smoke Signals 'met worh together ns fair IFromni weir' CONFERENCE continued from front page President Obama spoke to the conference on Friday, Dec. 2, and other Cabinet level administration representatives, such as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Health & Hu man Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, attended. Speaking at the close of the con ference, President Obama spoke about the work he has done to improve communications between Tribal nations and the federal government, as well as his commit ment to helping Indian communi ties realize prosperous futures. "While our work together is far from over, today we can see what change looks like," Obama said. "It's the Native American-owned , business that's opening its doors, or a worker helping a school renovate; It is new roads and houses. It is wind turbines going up on Tribal . lands, and crime going down in Tribal communities. That's what change looks like." At the Dec. 4 General Council meeting, Kennedy said that during her trip to Washington, D.C., which began on Wednesday, Nov. 30, she also testified regarding the Internal Revenue Service's plan to tax gen eral welfare assistance provided by Tribes to Tribal members. Kennedy said she spoke in op position to the tax proposal be cause Tribes are stepping up and providing benefits that the federal government has failed to provide even though they were promised in treaties. "I was advocating on behalf of our Tribal members," Kennedy said. "I ( 1 " i "if ' ' W . , 1 1 ar . i t . Photo courtesy of JackGiffen Jr. Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy and Tribal Council Secretary Jack Giffen Jr., right pose with Assistant Secretary of the Interior-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk at the third annual White House Tribal Nations Conference held Friday, Dec. 2, in Washington, D.C. Later in the day, President Barack Obama addressed conference attendees and talked about progress being made in improving the government-to-government relationship between the federal government and the 565 recognized Tribes In the country. basically said that when we entered into our treaties, there was a legal, binding contract that was made with the ancestors of our Tribe that said that the federal government would provide us with health, education, housing and welfare services, and a homeland. And they have yet to live up to fulfilling those responsibili ties. So the Tribe has taken it upon themselves to provide services to our members and to tax our members because of the services we provide is an injustice." Kennedy said she also attended a Northwest Leaders Conference at the National Congress of American Indians facility, where Tribal rep resentatives discussed Northwest priorities to communicate to the Obama administration. Kennedy also testified about public safety issues on Tribal lands, pointing out that restored Tribes, such as the Grand Ronde Tribe, have had to purchase their own public safety either through hiring private security firms or helping to fund local police departments. She said it was another example of something promised in treaties that the federal government has failed to deliver on. "We signed a peace treaty, but were not given any funds to protect our lands," Kennedy said. "That is just wrong to ask us to do that." Kennedy said she and Giffen also met with Oregon Sen. Kurt Schrader and discussed a proposed amendment to the Grand Ronde Reservation Act, which would streamline the process of taking former reservation land back into Tribal ownership. They also talked with Schrader about a proposal by the other Or egon Tribes to take Chemawa In dian School into trust despite the fact that Chemawa sits in the ceded lands of the Grand Ronde Tribe. The Grand Ronde Tribe, Kennedy said, continues to point out the "vast difference" between historical lands and ceded lands. "Not a lot of people understand what that means," she said. "For us, what that means is that all of our grandfathers who were treaty signers, they identified those lands and gave them in exchange for services, and those services are not being provided, and that is why we fight for them. "We know there are other Tribes who try to take over our lands that we gave up, and that is wrong." Kennedy said Giffen also at tended and spoke at a Government-to-Government Relations meeting before Friday's speech by President Obama. "Every year, he has signed a ma jor piece of legislation or executive order that has affected Tribes," Kennedy said about Obama. "His parting words were, 'As your presi dent, I have your back.' " B Interior launches new Tribal Consultation Policy WASHINGTON, D.C. Secre tary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary-Indian Af fairs Larry Echo Hawk announced a Tribal Consultation Policy for the Department of the Interior on Thursday, Dec. 1, launching a new era of communication with American Indian and Alaska Na tive Tribes. The new policy emphasizes trust, respect and shared responsibility in providing Tribal governments an expanded role in informing federal policy that affects Indian Country. "This comprehensive initiative reflects President Obama's commit ment to strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Tribal nations and recognizing their fundamental right to self-governance," Salazar said in signing an order implementing the depart mental policy. "The new framework institution alizes meaningful consultation so that Tribal leaders are at the table and engaged when it comes to the matters that affect them." "Under this policy, consultation will be an open, transparent and deliberative process," said Echo Hawk. "Forging a strong role for American Indian and Alaska Na tive Tribes at all stages in the government's decision-making process will benefit Indian Country and federal policy for generations to come." Developed in coordination with Tribal leaders around the nation including extensive meetings in seven cities with more than 300 Trib al representatives the new policy sets out detailed requirements and guidelines for Interior officials and managers to follow to ensure they are using the best practices and most innovative methods to achieve mean ingful consultation with Tribes. Salazar's announcement occurred in advance of the third White House Tribal Nations Conference that occurred Friday, Dec. 2, at the Department of the Interior. The conference brought together leaders from the 565 federally rec ognized Tribes to hear from Presi dent Obama and meet with senior federal officials. Grand Ronde Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy and Tribal Council Secretary Jack Giffen Jr. attended. The consultation policy creates a framework for synchronizing Inte rior's consultation practices with its bureaus and offices by providing an approach that applies in all circum stances where statutory or adminis trative opportunities exist to consult with the Tribes including any regu lation, rulemaking, policy, guidance, legislative proposal, grant funding formula change or operational activ ity that may have a substantial and direct effect on a Tribe. Interior bureaus and offices, which are required to designate one or more Tribal Liaison Officers, must examine and change their consultation policies within 180 days to ensure they are consistent with the new departmental policy. Under the policy, Interior of ficials will identify appropriate Tribal consulting parties early in the planning process, provide the Tribes a meaningful opportunity to participate in the consultation process and participate in a manner that demonstrates a commitment and ensures continuity. To increase accountability, Inte rior bureaus and office heads will implement training, performance standards and annual reporting to the Secretary of Interior, through his designated Tribal Governance Of ficer, on the scope, cost and effective ness of their consultation efforts. Based on information received from the bureaus and offices, the secretary of Interior will provide an annual report to the Tribes on the Tribal Consultation Policy. In consultation with the Tribes, the secretary also will establish a joint Federal-Tribal Team to make recommendations on implementing and ensuring continued improve ment of the policy. The announcement fulfills Presi dent Obama's directive that all federal agencies develop ways to im prove communication and consulta tion with Tribal leaders to generate positive solutions for issues affecting the First Americans. A Tribal Consultation Team drafted the new policy, informed by input from the seven region al meetings. The team included Tribal representatives from each Bureau of Indian Affairs region, in addition to departmental rep resentatives, ensuring that the draft policy was a direct result of collaboration with Tribal leaders. The draft policy was submitted to the Tribes and public for review and comment, leading to further refinements reflected in the final policy.