Henning Community Visit [06.16.09]

I visited our Choctaw brothers and sisters in Tennessee on May 9th. Though removed from our communities in Mississippi, they are still an important part of our Tribe.

I went there to talk about what is happening with Tribal government, discuss operations at Pearl River Resort and listen to the concerns people living in that area have. It was a good discussion. People asked about infrastructure and jobs and the Resort’s strategy to weather the nation’s recession.

About fifty Tribal members attended and the entire Bogue Chitto delegation was there. I’d like to thank Bogue Chitto Tribal Council Representative Diamond Hundley, Patsy Roach and Elsie Farve for all of their hard work making the event come together. Thank you also to Henning’s Mayor, Baris Douglas.

USET 40th Anniversary [06.16.09]

Vice-Miko Harrison Ben and I met with the Chairmen of the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes in Panama City, Florida to discuss the future of the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) organization.

The MBCI joined with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida to form this tribal alliance 40 years ago to give voice to the concerns of Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River. Today, 25 tribes are members of USET.

The Chiefs of the founding tribes convened to examine possible new directions for USET and to plan for the 40th anniversary celebration to be held October 27-30 in south Florida.

We discussed the need for a stronger Native American presence on Capitol Hill to hold federal lawmakers accountable for living up to the promises made to Tribes.  The federal government won’t empower us; we have to empower ourselves.

I also stressed that as USET’s leaders we have to hold ourselves accountable for the successes and failures of the last 40 years, but more importantly, we must have a vision for the next 40 years.

I know about the history of the organization but what I wanted to talk about is what we will do tomorrow. I am calling on USET leaders to issue a report card every ten years on the State of Native America.

We will be well represented at the 40th Anniversary celebration with Choctaw dancers and storytellers.

Tribal Government Reorganization [06.16.09]

At our last Council meeting, the plan to reorganize Tribal Government was approved by Tribal Council. Tribal Government hasn’t functioned efficiently in decades. There has been too much bureaucracy, the responsibilities of various positions were not made clear enough and the chain of command was often unclear. We are going to restructure our government to make it more efficient and manageable. The reorganization will also produce an increase in accountability. It will result in streamlined oversight and communication between the administration and the departments and programs.

This does not mean a loss of jobs. As long as we have the income, we will maintain the programs we have at this time. What it means is that the people who work in Tribal Government and serve Tribal members will have a better idea of what is expected of them. They will know who to report to and we will be able to measure their performance to see that Tribal members are being served. 

The Native American Rights Fund [06.16.09]

In May, I attended my first meeting of Native American Rights Fund (NARF) as a Board Member. Founded in 1970, NARF is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide.

The focus of the meeting was on the Supreme Court. Currently, we have a Court that is not friendly to Indian Country. NARF has launched a “Tribal Supreme Court Project” to safeguard Tribal sovereignty and this project was the main topic of discussion.

The project was formed in 2001 in response to a series of U.S. Supreme Court cases that negatively affected tribal sovereignty. The purpose of the project is to promote greater coordination and to improve strategy on litigation that may affect the rights of Tribes.

I am hopeful that the retirement of Justice David Souter will allow President Obama to appoint a replacement that will bring to the court a better understanding of the United States Constitution as it pertains to Tribes. NARF’s efforts will go a long way toward making that possible.