The Role of Indian Youth in Tribal Leadership

With the systematic destruction of American Indian tribal cultures, the economic , social, and cultural situations on the nation’s various Indian reservations has reached a crisis. Beset by unemployment, alcohol and drug addiction, domestic violence, educational failures, and the sense of hopelessness that accompanies these situations, the nation’s Native American population has become despondent and unengaged in their own tribal affairs. How can a new generation of leaders develop, one’s that may be able to reverse the plight of their reservations?

The best way to develop a new generation of American Indian leaders and thus begin the process of overcoming many current reservation problems is to engage the youth in specific tribal cultural traditions. For example, establishing regular sweat lodge ceremonies, teaching the tribal language, engaging in tribal dances are all viable avenues for not only the retention, or in some case regeneration, of cultural traditions, but also for the development of tribal leaders. Programs such as the AFSC Wabanaki Youth Program can go a long way to ending the cycles of poverty and degradation that plague the various Indian reservations across the United States.

The AFSC Wabanaki program has engaged tribal youth members from the four groups that make up the Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy). Throughout their history, these tribes, like others in the Northeast United States, have faced the systematic destruction of their cultures. Left with little choice, after centuries of interaction with Anglo-Americans, many of these tribal members have abandoned their traditional ways and have immersed themselves in the ways of the colonial powers. While some tribes have been exterminated in their entirety, others have maintained a tribal presence albeit in some degraded form. Thus, cultural authenticity on the nation’s various reservations is at a premium and those who retain even an ounce of tradition often find themselves in positions of authority on the reservations.

However, because of the rampant poverty on many reservations, those who remain are often not the “best and brightest.” Those making decisions for the tribe may be alcoholics, drug addicts, or abusers. How do those outside the traditional notions of power, i.e. native youth become involved in tribal government and administration without overstepping their position in a traditional tribal society? In short, they do not. Through the work of organizations such as the Wabanaki Youth Program, native youth engage with their culture and their traditions. In many cases, on the nation’s various reservations, it is the youth who have taken a determined stance against many of the major tribal issues (alcohol, drugs, etc). These leaders of tomorrow must be trained not only in their traditional cultures’ mores, but they must also understand the relationship between their tribe and the United States federal government. Thus, when Native youth are engaged in their tribal life, they may be able to right past wrongs and stop the loss of culture and traditional values that plagues many of the nation’s Indian reservations.

With Native youth engaged in their culture and the problems of current tribal administration under broader examination, Indian reservation will no longer be the home of corrupt politicians and those out to make a name for themselves by using their position on tribal council as leverage. Since many tribal communities now own and operate gaming operations, the questions of tribal sovereignty and involvement have never been larger. If native leaders are going to manage a twenty-first century reservation, then they must be as familiar with their specific tribal pasts as they are with the new theories and models of management, policy, and administration. The largest problem plaguing reservation communities today is the lack of cultural understanding. From elders claiming “devil worship” to others refusing to “attend church in a field” a traditions of this nation’s vibrant American Indian cultures continue to erode. Only by engaging the youth, by teaching the young the special place of their tribe in the universe, can these problems be overcome.

Opponents would argue that this recommendation is racist and designed to keep American Indians trapped in some vague past. Critics would say that American Indians, as much as the rest of the nation, live in the twenty-first century and as such must remain modern. This argument, is much like the one made in the 1940s by those who favored the disastrous policies of Termination and Relocation. These critics fail to see the connection to the tribal past in the current situation on Indian reservations. A people without a culture are a people lost in a void. Retaining and instilling a sense of tradition in Indian youth creates a link to a real past, not a fantasy one of Hollywood movies. Further, by instilling aspects of the traditional cultures, these new leaders will be able to combat the problems faced on the reservation in a manner that is both educated by research outside the reservation, but brought to the people in a culturally appropriate and competent manner.

Many programs specific to American Indians must be carried out in a culturally sensitive manner. From suicide prevention to domestic violence treatment, an understanding of the specific cultural history of a tribal people has plagued scholars and confounded practitioners. There is not one single answer to the problems faced on the nation’s many Indian reservations. There are over 560 federally recognized tribes, and many more state and locally recognized tribes. Each of these tribal groups demands its own specific, culturally appropriate, and reasoned action. However, when the youth of the tribe are involved and shown that they indeed have a stake in the future of the tribal, the tribal group as a whole benefits. Thus, programs like the Wabanaki Youth Program should be developed one each reservation. There should be little or no input from outside of the specific culture group, and tribal elders should be encouraged to take part. By instilling a sense of community, alongside a sense of self-determination, Indian youth will see the benefits of participating in their tribal culture as well as seeking remedies to the social, economic, and cultural issues facing their reservation communities.

US Justice Dept want Geronimo lawsuit dismissed

From the Associated Press

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut - The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by descendants of Apache leader Geronimo, whose remains were purported to be stolen long ago by members of a secret society at Yale University.

The government filed the motion June 10 to oppose a lawsuit filed in February by 20 of Geronimo's descendants, who want to rebury the warrior near his birthplace in southern New Mexico's Gila Wilderness.

Geronimo died in 1909. The lawsuit alleges that Skull and Bones members took some of the remains in 1918 from a burial plot in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to keep in its New Haven, Connecticut, clubhouse.

Both Presidents Bush, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and many others in powerful government and industry positions are members of the society, which is not affiliated with the university.

Lumbee Recognition: One Step Closer

So you want to be a federally recognized Indian tribe? There are just seven steps that you will need to complete. They are: 1) Be continually recognized as Indians by outsiders since 1900; 2) Be a distinct community since historical times (i.e. have a clear and distinct historical record); 3) Be a political entity since historical times (i.e. be a sovereign nation for a length of time); 4) Provide a paper trail in government documents; 5) be descended from a historical Indian tribe; 6) No member of your group can be a member of another Federally recognized tribe; and 7) You can't be subject to any legislation forbidding the Federal relationship. Since 1978, 81 tribes have applied for Federal recognition. Of those 81, only 16 have gained recognition, 24 were denied recognition, and the remainder fine themselves stuck in various parts of the process. That is, of course, unless you are the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina.

The Lumbee have been through the Bureau of Indian Affairs process 11 times. That's right not once or twice, but 11 times the Lumbee have met the criteria outlined by the BIA for Federal recognition. In the past, since the Lumbee suffered under the policies of Termination, the Secretary of the Interior has stated that Congress must finish what Congress has started and denied the Lumbee's application. That was the stumbling block for the Lumbee until today.

When running for president, Senator Barack Obama openly supported recognition for the Lumbee. Today, Congress took up the issue in H.R. 31 (click on post title to read the full bill) sponsored by Democratic Congressman McIntyre from North Carolina. The bill would provide discretionary money to the Lumbee and the nation agreed to not seek a gaming operation at any time. This isn't about a reservation. It's not about a casino. This is about historical atrocities and the ability of a people to survive hundreds of years of violence and neglect. Rising to oppose the bill was Rep. Hastings a Republican from Washington who stated that recognition of the Lumbee would cost the tax payers too much money. The Lumbee with 54,000 members would become the third largest tribe in the United States. Hastings and the Republicans were defeated in their efforts to stop the recognition, but then in a procedural move, Hastings offered an amendment. Hastings' amendment would force the Secretary of the Interior to "verify" the rolls of the Lumbee nation to ensure that all members were indeed descended from historical Indian tribes. Hastings' amendment was a direct result on Indian sovereignty. All Indians tribes have the right to determine their membership, the Secretary of the Interior verifies NO tribal rolls. The amendment went up for a vote and in a near party-line vote, the amendment was defeated 224 to 197.

Voting then was called on the passage of H.R. 31. In a 240 to 179 vote, H.R. 31 passed and the House of Representatives agrees to give Federal recognition to the Lumbee nation. The Lumbee people are now one step closer to obtaining the recognition they deserve and can finally see the end of a 100 year plea! Let's watch this one closely as it goes to the Senate.

Also today, H.R. 1385 providing Federal recognition to 6 tribes of Virginia Indians was approved. The bill did not see the fight that H.R. 31 did. The Senate will now take up both bills. Watch closely folks there could be some "new" tribes joining the mix!

Is this the 19th Century

I have been gone for too long, but this story has brought me back to the blogosphere! From Canada, a seven year old boy's haircut against his will has outraged not only his family, but also native people across Canada and in the U.S.

At his school in Thunder Bay, a seven year old student active on the pow wow circut was subjected to the same dehumanizing treatment our ancestors were subjected to at the off-reservation boarding schools. A teacher's aide who thought the boy was having trouble seeing through his bangs, grabbed the child's braids (which reached his chin) and cut them off!

The family has hired a Tornto-based human-rights lawyers and has filed a formal complaint with the police. The police investigated the incident and decided not to file charges. The law clearly states that cutting someone's hair without thier consent constitutes assault. There is NO REASON why charges have not been filed in this case!

Just one year since PM Stephen Harper apologized to Indian people for boarding schools and the attitudes that created them, we are here again. This is a fine blast from the past, right out of the 1800s! And, of course, no charges will be filed. Police in Thunder Bay say it was the Crown's decision not to file assault charges. The Ministry of the Attorney General claims it was the police who refused to file charges. Seems that no one wants to be accountable for this wrongheaded decision. The principal of the school called the family to apologize and the teacher's aide was suspended. The school refers to the haircut as an "unfortunate incident."

Unfortunate indeed! Perhaps a lerger investigation into the treatment of First Nation's people in Canadian schools is called for. Perhaps some justice for this child and his family would come from the aide being fired. Do we need laws passed that say "We can't cut children's hair without their consent because of possible religious issues." No, this is a simple case of assault and disrespect--I'm not sure which is worse?! Someone must be accountable for this blatant disregard for native rights!