Response to Sovereignty & Future of Indian Nations

By

Terrance H. Booth, Sr., Tsimshian Tribe

This writer listened to Jefferson Keel’s speech given to National Press in Washington, DC on January 29, 2010.  He gave a strong statement on our Tribal Sovereignty Issues that Tribes been battling even before the inception of this Country America.

Mr. Keel gave a brief tribal history of where we stand on tribal sovereignty as a reminder of the current issues that we face and confront Congress and the Office of the President.  It is with a happy heart that our presence is well represented in Washington, DC having with the Tribes our long time advocacy organization the National Congress of American Indians.

What was interesting about Mr. Keel’s speech is how long we have been confronting Congress, the Office of the President and the US Supreme Court on Tribal Sovereignty matters.  He reaffirmed how long we have been here as tribes and have confronted the US Supreme court for now 300 years.  He gave re-affirmation of Indian Tribes to retain their inherent sovereignty that governs our people and our tribal lands.  Mr. Keel gave a compliment to the current Presidential Administration taking important steps to recognize our tribal sovereignty, and with the proper authority of our tribal governments.

There were acknowledgements to President Obama and the steps he has taken regarding Indian Affairs. One major policy by President Obama was a directive to every Cabinet agency provide to him with a detailed plan to improve tribal consultation. With these important steps Tribes have been busy strengthening their Nation-to-Nation relationship between the Tribes and the federal government. A major accomplishment was the opening of Embassy of Tribal Nations giving Natives a permanent home in the very center of government in Washington, DC. Mr. Keel then cited some accomplishments by some Tribes.

Mr. Keel cited Significant Challenges of Indian Country, USA.  He cited the unemployment rate across Indian Country while the norm for America was about 5% percent Indian Country ranged from 63% to nearly 80% unemployment.   He then proposed a Seven Point Recommendation for the President to consider:

v     First, take action to restore tribal lands and allow us to use our land as we see fit.

v     Second, is to address law enforcement/

v     Third, is to guarantee equal treatment under the law by granting tribal governments the same treatment as state governments on tax and finance matters.

v     Fourth, is an investment to our children sot that they grown into healthy youth and become the next generation of tribal leaders, community members, and business leaders.

v     Fifth, is to ensure effective distribution of funds to tribal governments.

v     Sixth, is interagency coordination to improve tribal infrastructure.

v     Finally, we need the Administration to support legislative fix for last year’s Carccieri decision by the Supreme Court.

It is rather ironic that a writer by name of Joel Kotkin, author of book called “Tribes,” wrote, “In defining global tribalism, I have set out to examine five principal groups-the Jews, British, Japanese, Chinese and Indians-all whom powerfully illustrate this phenomenon. Although each of these five tribes possesses a vastly different history, they all share the following three critical characteristics:

1.         A strong ethic identity and sense of mutual dependence that help the group adjust to changes of the global economic and political order without losing its essential unity.

2.         A global network based on mutual trust that allows the tribe to function collectively beyond the confines of national or regional borders.

3.          A passion for technical and other knowledge from all possible sources, combined with an essential open-mindedness that fosters rapid cultural and scientific development critical for success in the late-twentieth-century world economy.

I thought it ironic that the successes of these people of the globe be dubbed “global tribalism.”  Conversely, we as Alaska Native and Native American in common have a strong ethic identity and over several decades have shown our mutual dependence by the confrontations facing all of Indian Country, USA.

The same with us even if we stand alone a tribe there is help and assistance we can now readily access and it can allow us to become global with the new technologies of current generation.

There are a growing number of our Native students who are up and coming tribal leaders and younger tribal council members bring their learning home to their particular reservation.

One recommendation is some tribes have joined forces to specifically address their tribal economies and made a decision to join one another to make it happen for the good of their Tribal People.  We have within our own hands resources to grow our tribal economies and that be through alternative energy.

America by the year 2016 will need 70% more electricity.  One can readily see in some state the growing population of their states.  For example, from 1990 to 2000 the State of Arizona nearly doubled its population.  The urban sprawl is impacting some Indian Reservation with their neighbors buffering right up on tribal borders.  Who will provide this energy?  Tribes can provide energy for every tribe has solar, wind, water, falling water and biomass.  It all can be converted into energy or even durable good that can replace aluminum, copper and steel.  Just for tribes information nine major industries use aluminum; copper and steel tribes can have the formation of light industries making products out of this durable from waste or into energy. 

Tribes not having their own tribal utility company that is a huge “economic leakage.”  Economic Leakage is removing monies from tribal economy to that of neighbors’ economy.  Another words dollars be spent off reservations instead of on our reservations. If there were a study of tribal economies of the reservations one would readily see that there are more dollars being spent off our tribal reservations for goods and services.  What grows a tribal economy is tribes be the owners of companies that provide these goods and services and thereby, improve tribal economies.

With Alternative Energy Parks this makes the tribes in control of their economies for it will not only benefit tribal neighbors but will bring substantial tribal wealth development.  Several tribes already doing wind and solar projects next step of economic independence is these energy parks to create more jobs and meet America’s need for electricity.

This writer commends Mr. Jefferson Keel, National Congress of American Indians, (NCAI) President for his outstanding speech on January 29, 2010 in behalf of all tribes and the excellent work of Jackie Johnson Pata, NCAI, Executive President.  To our tribes we should support NCAI individually by writing to your US Representatives, and your US Senators and the Office of the President.  After all, our votes put them there lets hold them accountable for their actions for us Alaska Native and Native American Affairs and make them listen to us.