S moke S ignals
JUNE 1, 2016
13
Casino hosts ATNI Mid-Year Convention
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Twenty-three of the 57 members
in the Afiliated Tribes of North-
west Indians answered the initial
roll call when the nonproit organi-
zation opened its Mid-Year Conven-
tion on Monday, May 23, at Spirit
Mountain Casino’s Event Center.
Jeanie Louise, ATNI secretary
and a member of the Coeur d’Alene
Tribe, declared that the convention
had a quorum of members and a
quorum of Executive Board oficers.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde, which has been an ATNI
member for many years, and Spirit
Mountain Casino hosted the Mid-
Year Convention from Monday,
May 23, through Thursday, May 26,
for the irst time since May 2010.
ATNI formed in 1953 and is
dedicated to Tribal sovereignty
and self-determination for Native
governments in Oregon, Idaho,
Washington, southeastern Alaska,
northern California, Nevada and
western Montana.
Conventions are where Indian
Country representatives come to-
gether to advance the work for their
communities in developing and im-
plementing policy and programs for
the region. The convention serves
as a platform for sharing informa-
tion on matters of interest, as well
as representing and advocating for
the interests of member Tribes.
ATNI President Fawn Sharp of
the Quinault Tribe told attendees
that the conventions matter since
more than half of the resolutions
considered at a recent National
Congress of American Indians
convention came from the Paciic
Northwest.
The Mid-Year Convention opened
traditionally with the Grand Ronde
Veterans Color Guard of Tribal El-
ders Wink Soderberg, Alton Butler,
Steve Bobb Sr. and Raymond Petite,
as well as Veterans Special Event
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Ailiated Tribes of Northwest Indians President Fawn Sharp (Quinault), gives
a “State of ATNI” address on Monday, May 23, during the organizations 2016
Mid-Year Convention held at Spirit Mountain Casino’s Event Center.
Board member Al Miller, carrying
in the lags as a drum comprised of
Tribal members David Harrelson,
Bobby Mercier, Travis Stewart and
Jordan Mercier played.
After the posting of the colors,
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George delivered an invocation.
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno welcomed attendees to Grand
Ronde as he acknowledged Tribal
Elders and veterans and brief-
ly explained the Tribe’s history.
He also invited attendees to this
year’s Marcellus Norwest Memorial
Veterans Powwow, which will be
held July 8-10 at Uyxat Powwow
Grounds and honor Vietnam War-
era veterans.
“I was actually elected to Tribal
Council 20 years ago,” Leno said.
“One of the irst things you ask is,
‘What do you do as a councilper-
son?’ One of the irst things they
said was, ‘Go to ATNI and ind out
what’s going on in the Northwest.’
Thank you for all the work you do
and carrying our issues back East.”
Grand Ronde Gaming Commission Executive Director Michael Boyce talks
about gaming in Oregon during a Northwest Gaming presentation on
Wednesday, May 25, at the Ailiated Tribes of Northwest Indians’ 2016 Mid-
Year Convention held at Spirit Mountain Casino’s Event Center.
After Leno’s welcome, a video
from Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley
played. He discussed his work to
return Kennewick Man to Tribes
for a proper burial as well as work
to improve Tribal village living
conditions at The Dalles Dam.
Then Sharp delivered her “State
of ATNI” speech, which criticized
the federal government for not
fulilling its trust responsibility to
Native American Tribes.
“So many of the trust issues we
are dealing with are symptoms of a
much deeper problem,” Sharp said.
“And the deeper problem is that we
recognized the federal government
is failing to fund the trust respon-
sibility. No matter what issue
we’re talking about … we could be
talking about natural resources,
health care, education, but every
one of those issues the reason the
federal government is not uphold-
ing its trust responsibility is it’s not
funding it.
“You’ve often heard people say
that the plan is terminate by bud-
get. Just keep reducing the Tribal
budgets and force Tribes to try to
generate proits through enterpris-
es and economic development, cur-
tail our taxing authority. … It was
very clear we have to address the
failure of the federal government to
fund its trust responsibility.”
Sharp said the Quinault Tribe
has been unable to fill forestry
positions for two years because of
a lack of funding, yet she saw fed-
eral government employees taking
large retirement packages. “Those
are some signiicant problems for
us in Indian Country,” she said,
adding that the federal government
is also reducing funding for Native
American programs.
Sharp said ATNI pushed for
an update of the 2003 U.S. Com-
mission on Civil Rights’ 136-page
“Quiet Crisis Report” to address
the “humanitarian crisis” of inade-
quate funding for Native American
Tribes. More than a decade ago, the
report found that “federal fund-
ing directed to Native Americans
through programs … has not been
suficient to address the basic and
very urgent needs of indigenous
peoples. Among the myriad unmet
needs are: health care, education,
public safety, housing and rural
development.”
Sharp said there was a big discon-
nect between federal agencies and
Indian Country, and commission
members did not want to hold a
ield hearing in the Paciic North-
west regarding the issue. However,
with the help of Washington Rep.
Derek Kilmer, Sharp announced
that the chairman of the Civil
Rights Commission relented and
that the commission will be visiting
the Paciic Northwest to conduct a
ield hearing to update the “Quiet
Crisis Report.”
“That was good news. Not only
did ATNI advance a resolution
seeking an update of a signiicant
report, we weren’t going to accept
that it was going to be based on
agency reports,” Sharp said. “It
took us three years to get to this
point. We, as a region, want to hold
the United States accountable. It’s
not right that this funding has de-
clined year after year. It’s not right
that each year we are trying to do
more with less. It’s not right that
our children are suffering. It’s not
right that our health care is not a
comprehensive system.”
In addition, Sharp said ATNI is
working on a “Northwest Platform”
for the next administration to ad-
vance.
“We want to continue to advance
our agenda, to build alliances with
other regions across the country
and continue to hold the United
States accountable for not only its
trust responsibilities, but getting
out of our way when we want to
exercise our inherent sovereign au-
thority and our jurisdiction,” Sharp
said. “We are constantly under
attack and constantly defending
what belongs to us. We’re going to
stand strong.”
During the afternoon, ATNI
attendees broke into myriad com-
mittee meetings to discuss diverse
issues important to Indian Country
that included Telecom/Energy,
Culture and Elders, Health, Tax-
ation, Youth, Human Resources,
Indian Child Welfare, Transpor-
tation, Economic Development,
Natural Resources/Land, Educa-
tion, Veterans, Law and Justice,
Trust Reform, Tribal Employment
Rights Ofices, Housing, Gaming,
Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families, International Affairs and
Drug Abuse and Prevention.
On Monday afternoon, Tribal
Council Secretary Cheryle A. Ken-
nedy chaired the Health Committee
meeting and Education Depart-
ment Manager Leslie Riggs gave
an overview of the Tribe’s offerings
during the Education Committee
hearing.
Tuesday presenters concentrated
on federal agencies and programs.
Ken Johnston, manager of Tribal
Affairs at the Bonneville Power
Administration, gave an update on
his agency.
David Conrad, deputy director of
the Ofice of Indian Energy Policy &
Programs at the U.S. Department
of Energy, briefed ATNI members
on progress in his department and
SEE ATNI
continued on page 18