6 DECEMBER 15,2011
Smoke Signals
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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
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. 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.