WASHINGTON, D.C. — What’s my take away from the White House
Tribal Nations Conference? Easy. This is an administration that
actually believes the United States government must represent all of the
people, including American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Make no mistake: Everything is not perfect between Indian Country and
the United States as we close the year 2010. There are lots of
legitimate complaints about how the federal government executes its
responsibilities towards indigenous people. The list ranges from the
failure to fully fund treaty and trust obligations to the problems
associated with fixing the government’s own mistakes. (One of my
favorite examples of that last point was reported out of a break-out
group by Assistant Secretary Larry EchoHawk. The policy of
termination—the U.S. withdrawal of recognition and support for tribal
governments—was repudiated some 40 years ago by President Nixon. Yet
laws, such as public law 83-280, an act favoring state jurisdictional
authority over tribes, remain in force and on the books.)
Let’s pull back and look at the view from where the eagles fly. Then we
can see how the Obama administration is busy planting new standards.
President Barack Obama put it this way: “I said that so long as I held
this office, never again would Native Americans be forgotten or ignored.
And over the past two years, my administration, working hand in hand
with many of you, has strived to keep that promise.”
One promise kept is the reversal of the United States position on the
U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “The aspirations
it affirms—including the respect for the institutions and rich cultures
of Native peoples—are one we must always seek to fulfill,” the president
said.
“But I want to be clear: What matters far more than words—what matters
far more than any resolution or declaration -– are actions to match
those words. And that’s what this conference is about. … That’s the
standard I expect my administration to be held to.”
The most important part of the Declaration is that simple point. That
the United States—indeed, any government—must meet the test of actions
over words. It’s a moral standard, the proposition that governments
agree to do what they said they’d do. And when they don’t? One more
avenue to pressure governments to fulfill the promises already made.
There is another, practical application to this international ideal. It
affirms the idea that tribal nations have a place in global governance
and commerce. Tribes are, in the words of diplomats, part of the
“international community.”
On the world stage, in the nation’s discourse, and even in regional and
local affairs, the standard is clear: Tribes have a right (if not an
obligation) to have their voice heard. Seven cabinet members attended
the Tribal Nations Conference and many federal agencies are at least
going through a process of consultation with tribes.
But beyond the specifics, a year from now the default is now set for the
standard of a White House exchange with tribal leaders; the next
president—indeed, all future presidents—will be pressured to engage in
at least a similar, and serious, dialogue. (This is exactly how it
worked with presidential statements on tribal self-determination. Once
it was a big deal, after Presidents Johnson and Nixon. Now it is
expected.)
But if the standard for consultation and engagement is high, then what of the standard for execution?
When President Obama reached the podium at the Interior Department last
week nearly every person in a seat lifted a cell phone to take a
picture. Row after row of glowing screens, capturing that moment.
But that moment is no longer enough. A year ago it was a big deal to
meet. And even more so a second year. But a year from now it will only
be a big deal if there are success stories that add jobs or improve the
health or educational opportunities for young Native Americans.
So what happens next? We need to chart the ideas that were either
proposed or promised at the Tribal Nations Conference, then a year from
now, tick off what was actually done.
As President Obama said, what matters next are the actions needed to match all those words.
Mark Trahant is a writer, speaker and Twitter poet. He is a member of
the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and lives in Fort Hall, Idaho. Trahant’s
new book, “The Last Great Battle of the Indian Wars,” is the story of
Sen. Henry Jackson and Forrest Gerard.
Essays in the Just West blog are not written by High Country News. The authors are
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