The guy gets it!

The Women of Standing Rock

Two big things today:

1. A pair of French journalists went out to Standing Rock in January to do a story on the women Standing Rock and what is being done to combat domestic violence on the reservation. I happened to be out there at the same time, and saw their integrity and sensitivity. It is now available with incredible photographs on Getty Images. The title of the article, by journalist Anne Senges, is: The Women of Standing Rock. It's really excellent work.

2.. You can watch a live stream of the White House Tribal Nations Conference, which is taking place NOW, at CSPAN. It is the first such conference since 1944 (can you believe that?) and reflects the priority the Obama Administration is placing on Tribal issues. It's live, so if you are going there before from noon to 1:45pm EST, they're on a lunch break.

You can see the introduction and Obama's opening remarks HERE.

Don't miss it

SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE TO REVIEW FEDERAL PROCESS FOR TRIBAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

More progress. Here's the press release from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced Tuesday the panel will hold a congressional oversight hearing at 2:15 PM on Wednesday, November 4. The hearing will examine Department of Interior efforts to repair the federal acknowledgement process for Indian tribes. It will also review proposals for improving the system.
Securing formal, federal tribal recognition is vital. It establishes a formal government-to-government relationship between the tribe and the U.S. government. Once federally recognized, a tribe has access to federal benefits and programs.
Yet, the acknowledgement process is broken and has been since it was established in 1978. Tribes routinely wait decades without getting a decision. Some tribes, including one tribe which will present testimony at the hearing, have been stuck in the federal acknowledgment process since 1978 with no decision. The prolonged process cost tribes funds urgently needed elsewhere, and denies tribes that are eventually recognized access to benefits and programs, often for decades.
Details follow:
WHO: U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman; Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Vice Chairman, and other members of the committee.
WITNESSES: George Skibine, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of Interior; Frank Ettawageshik, Chair, Federal Acknowledgement Task Force, National Congress of American Indians; John Sinclair, President, Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Havre, Montana; Ann D. Tucker, Tribal Chairperson, Muscogee Nation of Florida, Bruce, Florida; and Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, Director, Indian Legal Clinic, Tempe, Arizona.
WHAT: Congressional oversight hearing
WHEN: 2:15 PM, Wednesday, November 4, 2009
WHERE: 628 Dirksen Senate Office Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
WHY: To review Department of Interior efforts to repair the federal acknowledgement process for granting formal recognition to Indian tribes.

President Obama Declares November Native American Heritage Month

Accompanying this declaration will be the first ever White House Tribal Nations Conference. FIVE HUNDRED tribal leaders from across the nation are expected to attend. More on that over at Indianz.com., where you can also get the schedule for that conference.

Here's the White House Press release:

NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The indigenous peoples of North America -- the First Americans -- have woven rich and diverse threads into the tapestry of our Nation's heritage. Throughout their long history on this great land, they have faced moments of profound triumph and tragedy alike. During National Native American Heritage Month, we recognize their many accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices, and we pay tribute to their participation in all aspects of American society.

This month, we celebrate the ancestry and time-honored traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in North America. They have guided our land stewardship policies, added immeasurably to our cultural heritage, and demonstrated courage in the face of adversity. From the American Revolution to combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have fought valiantly in defense of our Nation as dedicated servicemen and women. Their native languages have also played a pivotal role on the battlefield. During World Wars I and II, Native American code talkers developed unbreakable codes to communicate military messages that saved countless lives. Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars. Our debt to our First Americans is immense, as is our responsibility to ensure their fair, equal treatment and honor the commitments we made to their forebears.

The Native American community today faces huge challenges that have been ignored by our Government for too long. To help address this disparity, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocates more than $3 billion to help these communities deal with their most pressing needs. In the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, my Administration has proposed over $17 billion for programs carried out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, and other Federal agencies that have a critical role to play in improving the lives of Native Americans. These programs will increase educational opportunities, address the scourge of alcohol abuse and domestic violence, promote economic development, and provide access to comprehensive, accessible, and affordable health care. While funding increases do not make up for past deficiencies, they do reflect our determination to honor tribal sovereignty and ensure continued progress on reservations across America.

As we seek to build on and strengthen our nation-to-nation relationship, my Administration is committed to ensuring tribal communities have a meaningful voice in our national policy debates as we confront the challenges facing all Americans. We will continue this constructive dialogue at the White House Tribal Nations Conference held in Washington, D.C., this month. Native American voices have echoed through the mountains, valleys, and plains of our country for thousands of years, and it is now our time to listen.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2009 as National Native American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to commemorate this month with appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate November 27, 2009, as Native American Heritage Day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA

Celebrating Solutions Awards

From my email today:

The Mary Byron Project created the Celebrating Solutions Awards to showcase and applaud local innovations that demonstrate promise in breaking the cycle of violence. We select programs that can serve as models for the nation and offer $10,000 cash awards in recognition of their pioneering efforts.

Nominations for 2009-2010 are now open. The deadline for submission (must be postmarked by) November 17, 2009. Current year 2009-2010 nomination form is now available.

Here is the website: http://www.marybyronproject.org/CelebratingSolutions.html

Who's Eligible?

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Both the nominated program and the institution must have been operating for a minimum of three years.
The program must address the issue of domestic violence.
The program must be part of a non-profit 501(c)(3) or government agency.
The program should be replicable, or if it is national in scope, the program should have applications for individual communities, regardless of their size or ethnic population.

Experts: Justice grants not a long-term solution to ending violence

That's the title of an Indian Country Today article by Rob Capriccioso.

Read the whole thing HERE.

Basically, grants are great, but they're not a substitute from some long-needed changes in the law. That's the only way we're going to cut down on violence on Indian reservations.

Here's an excerpt:

WASHINGTON – Tribal justice advocates are hailing awards from the Department of Justice to aid and improve three reservation-based domestic violence programs, but many say the money itself isn’t going to solve bigger federal Indian law problems.

Some of the latest awards, announced in early September, come as a result of federal stimulus funding. They amount to $1.4 million for the Los Coyotes Band of Indians in California, the Kaw Nation of Oklahoma, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

..snip....

“What is needed is real legal reform. In addition to funding shortfalls, the Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe loophole still remains.”

Carole Goldberg, a tribal law professor at the UCLA School of Law, elaborated on that loophole, saying the 1978 Supreme Court decision found that tribes don’t have criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians.

She said federal policy to correct the Oliphant decision is desperately needed to reduce reservation violence.

Matoy Carlson also said federal Indian law should be changed to rectify the loophole, or else she believes the epidemic of violence against Native women isn’t really being addressed.

Matthew L.M. Fletcher, director of the Michigan State University Indigenous Law & Policy Center, is grateful for federal awards to address violence in Indian country, but is skeptical about their long-term effects.

...snip.....

“But what happens when the grants run out? So many times in Indian country it means that those programs just die. I hope that won’t happen here.”

Fletcher believes a long-term solution to violence requires a re-examination of federal law in relation to tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians.

He said Congress could quickly correct issues stemming from Oliphant if it chooses.

Congress has long heard about the issue from tribal leaders, but has chosen not to act.
Bold is mine

Notice the last line. This is nothing new. We have to make sure Congress knows that we are watching, and we will be waiting for our representatives to make these changes N.O.W.!!!

Message from Outgoing Standing Rock Tribal Chairman

Since Pretty Bird Woman House is on the Standing Rock Reservation, tribal government matters to it, so I am posting this article. On Sept. 29th, the Reservation held elections for a number of positions, including Tribal Council. The Chair, Ron His Horse is Thunder, lost to Charlie Murphy, the long-time Tribal Council Chairman. I congratulate Chairman Murphy on his win, and want to share with you an article that now former Chair His Horse is Thunder wrote for Indian Country Today. In it, he gives his thoughts on the challenges facing Indian Country, which is quite informative.

Thank you for your service Ron. I know the Creator will soon lead you to your next area of service.

The entire article is below. You can find the original, and read the comments, on Indian Country Today.

My name is Ron His Horse is Thunder and I am the great-great grandson of One Bull, the nephew and adopted son of Sitting Bull, our Hunkpapa Lakota Nation Chief. All of my life, I have tried to walk the good red road and serve my people. Tunkasila, Grandfather, has a plan for all of us.

The Justice Department cannot be entrusted with BIA Law Enforcement. The downside is too steep.

For the last four years, Tunkasila has blessed me by providing me the opportunity to serve my people as chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Now, Tunkasila has a new plan for me. I wish to thank all those who supported me. I congratulate Charlie Murphy who won our election for tribal chairman Sept. 30. As we move forward, I wanted to take the time to point out that there is unfinished business that must be taken care of for all of our people.

First on health care, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., will have leading roles and their votes will be essential. As the nation considers how to cover every American and ensure that no one dies for lack of health insurance, our Native American people must be treated fairly. Both of our senators have taken important steps forward to help us – Sen. Conrad has a measure to stop IRS taxation of tribal government health care and health insurance. Sen. Dorgan has an amendment to add the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to President Obama’s health care package, which provides important reauthorization for IHS. Our senators deserve our heartfelt thanks.

Yet, more must be done. The IHS receives only one-third the funding per patient that Medicare or the Veteran’s Health Administration receives. We must change it in the President’s National Health Care Reform. We must call upon our senators to increase funding for the IHS from 33 percent to 50 percent in year one, 55 percent in year two, and so on, until we reach 100 percent of per patient funding at the level provided for Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration.

Second, on youth suicide, we are facing an epidemic problem among our young Indian people in the Great Plains. We have the highest youth suicide rate in the country. Our most precious resources are our children, who are the future of our Indian nations. We must teach them that we love and honor them and we must help them take pride in our Lakota culture. We must teach our youth that “Today is a good day to live!”
We must teach our youth that ‘Today is a good day to live!’
Yet we need help. Youth suicide among our young people is a problem of nationwide import. We need Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to convene a high level meeting to establish a crisis intervention plan. Not one more of our young people should die before Washington takes notice. We need intervention now.

We need the Senate to pass the Indian Law Enforcement Improvement Act Sen. Dorgan sponsored. During the Clinton administration, the Justice Department increased Indian country funding by $160 million to address the fact that American Indians suffer violent crime victimization at a rate almost two-and-a-half times the general population. Yet, President Bush did not understand that and Karl Rove fired U.S. attorneys for spending too much time on Indian country issues. It was truly wrong when the Bush White House pulled the rug out from under the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, who spent so much time addressing the Red Lake school shooting. So, Congress must restore the Justice Department funding President Clinton put in place and then increase it by authorizing the same block grants for our Indian tribes that have long been available to states.

But we don’t need to repeat the question about whether BIA Law Enforcement should be transferred to Justice. The short answer is no. Justice could not even defend its Indian country law enforcement resources during the Bush administration. The Justice Department cannot be entrusted with BIA Law Enforcement. The downside is too steep. We also need an Indian political appointee at Justice to oversee its Indian programs – career folks don’t have enough impact – and well meaning non-Indians can’t substitute for our people who walk the good red road with us.
As we move forward, I wanted to take the time to point out that there is unfinished business that must be taken care of for all of our people.

Third, the president must convene a White House Tribal Leaders Summit. Not only do we need Indian people at the White House, we need a new Obama administration policy to respect Indian sovereignty and honor our treaties, as Obama promised on the campaign trail. The time to act is now. Then there should be a regular schedule of consultation – monthly meetings at the White House and Interior – followed six months later by a meeting of tribal leaders with the Cabinet in preparation for next year’s White House Tribal Leaders Summit. Then Congress must act to make sure the Obama policy sticks.

Mitakuyepi, my people, I am proud of what we have done in the last four years, yet we have much left to do. With Grandfather’s guidance, I will join you on that road and he will help me find a new way to serve. Pilamayelo!

Ron His Horse Is Thunder is a member of the Hunkpapa-Lakota Oyate. He served as the tribal chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe from 2005 – 2009.