Tribes look back to move forward:

Obama's monumental challenge in Indian Country

"The historic injustice was amazing…"I used to say to tribes, why are you not burning down this building?' (referring to the White House). She added, "But unless there is hope, there is no future…"

–– Lynn Cutler, Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Intergovernmental Affairs

By Lise Balk King
The Native Voice
Special to Pechanga.net

WASHINGTON, DC – It has been confirmed that over 400 of the 564 invited tribes will be in attendance tomorrow at President Obama's White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Department of Interior.

As a sweeping statement of historical significance, this meeting will be the largest gathering of federally recognized tribes in the history of the United States. President Obama will have pulled off what no tribal organization or past administration has yet been able to do.

While there is a lot of excitement in the air here in Washington, DC, many are withholding their expectations and taking a hopeful yet tempered "wait and see" attitude. Because while Obama's star power and message of hope has drawn the tribal leaders in to this unprecedented summit, what tribes are looking for is substantive progress for the myriad of concerns facing their people today, as well as resolution of past injustices and fixing the centuries-long bureaucratic mess.

The question becomes, how can the current administration quantitatively and qualitatively address everything on the table? It is a daunting piece of work. After so many years of hoping for the best and expecting very little, some tribal leaders are understandably cautious, but "cautiously optimistic" is the tone. What tribal leaders want to hear is a commitment to action on federal Indian policy that translates into results.

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar acknowledged, "There are so many difficult and monumental issues that face Indian nations throughout our Country, and, frankly, the last administration did not pay any attention to these issues." He said, "President Obama, as a agent of change, is opening up a new chapter of relationships with Indian Country."

Obama will deliver opening and closing remarks at the Tribal Conference, and will engage in an interactive discussion with tribal leaders, who will then have the opportunity to conference with representatives from the highest levels of the Obama administration, including members of the president's cabinet. A variety of issues will be addressed, including treaty obligations and tribal sovereignty, economic development and natural resources, public safety, housing, education and health and labor.

The Obama White House Tribal Nations Conference is a defining moment in US-tribal relations. There have been few other such positive moments for tribes in presidential history.

During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy stated in a letter to the Association on American Indian Affairs that "…my administration would see to it that the Government of the United States discharges its moral obligation to our first Americans by inaugurating a comprehensive program for the improvement of their health, education, and economic well-being…" Kennedy carried his commitment vis-a-vis the tribes into the White House, but it would be eight years before the next significant step in US-tribal policy evolution.

In a March 6, 1968 Special Message to Congress, President Lyndon B. Johnson became the first President to issue a Special Message to Congress on Indian policy and the first federal official to use the term self-determination in reference to Indian policy. Johnson called for a “policy of maximum choice for the American Indian: a policy expressed in programs of self-help, self-development, self-determination. … The greatest hope for Indian progress lies in the emergence of Indian leadership and initiative in solving Indian problems. Indians must have a voice in making the plans and decisions in programs which are important to their daily life.”

The next major milestone for tribes came on July 8, 1970, when President Nixon delivered a message to Congress ordering a new approach on Indian policy, condemning forced termination and specifying recommendations for Indian self-determination.

And then, twenty four years later, President Bill Clinton issued his executive Memorandum on Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal Government (April 29, 1994), which set guidelines for consultation and a system for government-wide implementation, throughout all agencies.

Loretta Avent, Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and the first-ever official tribal liaison to the White House, organized the Clinton tribal meeting at the White House in 1994. All federally recognized tribes were invited, and over 200 leaders attended. It was the first such meeting, and the last, until Obama's Tribal Nations Conference.

Avent's message for tribes today is that "First Americans need to be a part of every aspect of the federal government, being a part of every agency, while maintaining the culture and languages and traditions. That is the only was the Native community becomes a part of the whole, even in government."

Holly Cook Macarro, a Red Lake Band of Chippewa tribal member, worked in Clinton's White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs as an intern, and then as the first member of any White House staff to work solely on tribal affairs. She then served as Director of the Office of Native American Affairs at the Democratic National Committee.

"The Obama Administration has brought a whirlwind of fresh air to tribes and their ability to access decision-makers," Cook Macarro observed. "The president has chosen highly respected individuals to serve in various capacities and has even gone beyond what were considered grand promises in the campaign…and while the opportunity to meet with the President is monumental, I believe the long term effect this meeting will have is the action at the departmental and agency level.…"

Chairman Rick Hill of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin was at the Clinton meeting in 1994, and will be attending the Obama tribal conference tomorrow. Hill said, "Obama has raised the bar a little bit, he has promised to re-establish the nation-to-nation relationship, honor the treaties in recognition that they are embedded in the US Constitution, advance self-determination, self-reliance and self-governance." He echoed Cook Macarro's message that the success of this meeting will play out at the agency level, saying "Hopefully there will be a clear instruction to all departments, all agencies…to fall in line with Obama's vision."

Lynn Cutler, who served as the first-ever tribal liaison in the White House as Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Intergovernmental Affairs, explained what it took to implement the mandates of Clinton's 1994 executive order. She said, "This was the period that tribes started to get politically active…I began to really push it with my colleagues, and develop relationships with (Departments of) Interior and Justice. We formed a working group and there were quarterly meetings. Gradually, by being a terrible nag, I was able to help the senior staff understand why we needed to be involved in Indian Country."

But the question persists, how can tribes move forward in good faith with the United States government after so many generations of broken trust, treaties, and termination?

"I think with the right attitude and heart, anything can be resolved...we can heal the wounds of the past," said Chairman Hill. And he sees it as a necessary healing, not just for Indians, but for America, stating, "It is a spiritual healing for the whole country."

"However," he added, "there still is ancient business that needs to be addressed." Hill is a seasoned veteran of these treaty and policy wars, which are often described as Indian Wars that have moved from the historic battlefields into the modern courts. "With regards to the Oneida, we have been trying to resolve our ancient land claims. We had many treaties, over six million acres of land lost, and we are still moving forward. It's a 200-year long conversation."

"The historic injustice was amazing," said Lynn Culter, "I used to say to tribes, (with everything that's happened), Why are you not burning down this building?' (referring to the White House). She added, "But unless there is hope, there is no future…"

There are rumors that President Barack Obama may offer an executive order apologizing to America's Indian nations during the Tribal Conference for the United States government's mistreatment of Indian people and harmful federal policies. Sources working with the administration have indicated that "There has been a strong interest expressed to get this done." Salazar sidestepped the question, however, during a press conference yesterday about whether or not Obama may issue such an order. He did respond by saying that the tribes have been "swept under the rug in many different ways."

Chairman Hill has a pragmatic approach to an apology: "A United States apology to Indian nations would be helpful in this whole conversation, but we need to demonstrate what that apology means. We have health care and housing and diversity and so many issues that have to be addressed. An apology is nice, but we need to put meat on the bones there…at the very least it gives hope that these things can be identified and addressed in a manner that would be satisfactory to our nations."

This historic meeting with tribes taps into the heart of Obama's campaign message of hope. Now tribes are waiting to see if he can translate it into real change for Indian country.

###