S moke S ignals
FEBRUARY 1, 2018
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'It was very important for me to be here'
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Chris Mercier, George, Kathleen
George, Jack Giffen Jr., Brenda
Tuomi and Lisa Leno.
Also attending were Tribal Attor-
ney Rob Greene, General Manager
David Fullerton and Tribal Eco-
nomic Development Administrative
Assistant Meghan Zimbrick. The
Tribe also sponsored the Monday
morning continental breakfast.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler
gave welcoming remarks before
he was due to swear in the city’s
newest police chief.
“It was very important for me to
be here,” Wheeler said. “All of us
understand that these conventions
are an important opportunity to
bring together Tribal nations from
all across the Northwest. … The
peoples who lived here first were
not of my people. They were of
yours, but we can work together
caring for our resources, having
well-maintained infrastructure,
workforce development and eco-
nomic opportunities across the
Pacific Northwest. The hallmark of
success is what we leave to future
generations.”
Wheeler also touched on Portland
hiring a Tribal liaison to help foster
collaboration.
“Our city will be faced with im-
portant decisions,” he said. “We
have to ensure that we have the
means to work together in a collab-
orative way. My job is to ensure you
are engaged with us every step of
the process.”
Kennedy was a featured speaker
on Monday morning.
“It was very heartwarming to see
all of our veterans, so honorable,
and our drummers and singers,”
Kennedy said. “I appreciate the
prayers and strength that come
from the songs and the beat of the
drum. For the executive board,
thanks for the good work that you
do, and the staff of ATNI. I’m also
very pleased to see the young peo-
ple here, our future leaders.”
Kennedy noted that the confer-
ence’s location was held on home-
lands of the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde.
“We, as Indian people, have sur-
vived for thousands of years on
our land,” she said. “We have been
through many difficulties. … We
were a terminated Tribe. … I’m
pleased to say today that we are
here and we are strong.”
The conference began amidst
the federal government shutdown,
which has since been rectified.
“Many uncertainties are unfold-
ing … but we have lived through
greater, more horrible obstacles,”
Kennedy said. “We will get through.
I welcome you here. … When we put
our minds and hearts together, the
answers will come.”
ATNI President Leonard Fors-
man, a Suquamish Tribal member,
discussed the state of the organiza-
tion amid an ever-changing federal
government.
“The Trump administration has
been very chaotic, inconsistent and,
in some ways, not very effective,”
Forsman said. “The most concern-
ing part is the intolerance and rac-
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Grand Ronde Honor Guard, from left, Tribal Elders Steve Bobb Sr. and Raymond Petite, Rich VanAtta and Al Miller
carry in the flags during the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians’ Winter Convention 2018 held at DoubleTree by
Hilton Portland in Portland on Monday, Jan. 22.
ism that has been encouraged. It is
difficult for us to witness as Indian
people, because we know what that
can result in.”
“I always find it confusing and
heartbreaking when they (the
Trump administration) bring in a
piece of federal law like the Second
Amendment or mining agreements
and say it should be protected, it is
untouchable, but for Indian trea-
ties? No, they say those are differ-
ent. We need to remind everyone
that we are the first Americans.
We have to continue to tell our
creation stories and protect our
sacred lands.”
Forsman noted that in both rural
and urban areas, Tribes are often
one of the largest employers of Na-
tives and non-Natives.
“I don’t think people realize that
sometimes,” he said. “Those that
have us should be grateful we are
here. Tribes are providing income,
investment and long-term stability
to the economy.”
Forsman also touched on the
reorganization of the Bureau of
Indian Affairs under the Trump
administration.
“I’m a little concerned about the
Interior’s approach to bringing field
workers into the local communi-
ties,” he said. “They’re moving a
lot of people out of the central of-
fice, because I believe the further
out they are from the Capitol, the
shorter their memories become
about their trust responsibilities.”
Natural resource protection is
another battle with the current
administration, Forsman said.
In early December, President
Trump significantly reduced the
size of two national monuments
in Utah, the largest rollback of
federal land protection in the na-
tion’s history. Bears Ears National
Monument was cut by 85 percent
and Grand Staircase-Escalante
was reduced to half its current size.
The move is intended to encourage
development on public lands.
“It is a direct attempt to sever
the connection of Tribes to their
homelands,” Forsman said. “We
have been pushing back on this
as hard as we can. If they succeed
there, we will really be in danger.”
Brian Cladoosby, chairman of
the Swinomish Indian Tribal Com-
munity and past president of the
National Congress of American
Indians, discussed how HOPE, a
committee to combat opioid abuse,
had not considered any Tribal
input.
“Yet, we are the group that is
impacted by that the most in the
United States,” he said.
Along with proposed cuts to
health services, national monu-
ments and other environmental
protections, Trump also discontin-
ued the Obama-era Tribal Nations
Conference, which brought togeth-
er Tribal leaders from across the
United States to interact directly
with high-level government offi-
cials and members of the White
House Council on Native American
Affairs.
When asked about the cancella-
tion, Cladoosby said that he wasn’t
surprised.
“I’m not shocked at all,” he said.
“Trump hasn’t understood the
concept of government-to-govern-
ment relations, the concept of trust
responsibilities or the concept of
treaty rights.”
Robert Miller, a recent appoin-
tee to the Grand Ronde Court of
Appeals, discussed his book, “Res-
ervation ‘Capitalism:’ Economic
Development in Indian Country.”
Miller is a professor of the Sandra
Day O’Connor College of Law at
Arizona State University and was
giving out complementary copies
of his book.
“I want our leaders to focus on
creating a private sector economy
on Tribal land,” Miller said. “Every
dollar our people get, they spend
it off the Reservation. In a lot of
the surrounding cities, they don’t
even like us. But they will take our
money. I want to see us keep the
money in our communities before
it bleeds away.”
Miller cited an example of the Na-
vajo Nation, the largest reservation
in the United States with a popula-
tion of approximately 193,000, but
only 305 private businesses.
“I am trying to get us to focus
on a whole new area of economic
development that I don’t think too
many of us put focus on,” he said.
Another highlight from the four-
day conference was a reception for
John Tahsuda III, acting assistant
secretary for Indian Affairs with
the Department of the Interior.
Tribes also were encouraged to
sign the ATNI declaration, “We
Are Still In,” in support of the
Paris Climate Accord. The Trump
administration pulled out of the
agreement to keep the United
States a global leader in reducing
carbon emissions.
“For our Tribal nations, sound
stewardship of the land and its
bounty are among our core values.
While we recognize accordingly
that our ways may have not caused
climate change, Tribal commu-
nities will continue to endure a
disproportionate impact,” the state-
ment reads.
The Native American Voting
Rights Coalition also held a hearing
at the convention on Wednesday,
Jan. 24, to learn more about Tribal
member experiences with voting in
federal, state and local non-Tribal
elections. Issues addressed includ-
ed whether Native voters have
opportunities in their communities
that are equal to those of non-Na-
tives or if they experience discrim-
ination. Witnesses included Tribal
leaders, advocates and voters.
ATNI is a nonprofit organization
representing 57 Northwest Tribal
governments from Oregon, Idaho,
Washington, southeast Alaska,
northern California and western
Montana.