{"id":76707,"date":"2018-02-19T17:31:11","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T00:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/tribes-call-on-washington-to-respect-native-american-sovereignty\/"},"modified":"2018-02-20T00:31:11","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T00:31:11","slug":"tribes-call-on-washington-to-respect-native-american-sovereignty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/tribes-call-on-washington-to-respect-native-american-sovereignty\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribes call on Washington to respect Native American sovereignty"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"On
On Dec. 4, 2017, protesters gather outside of the Utah State Capitol where President Donald Trump speaks to local representatives in Salt Lake City. President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to drastically reduce and break up a national monument in Utah wasn\u2019t the only blow Native American tribes say they were dealt. The proclamation Trump signed changes the makeup of a tribal advisory commission for Bears Ears National Monument. It adds a San Juan County, Utah, commissioner who supported peeling back protections for the land.<\/span>Associated Press file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel said in the annual State of Indian Nations address that the government-to-government relationship between tribes and Washington is even more important now, as the federal government pushes more control toward the states.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongress is thinking about shifting more authority and more funding to the states on the theory that states can more efficiently spend their funds \u2013 we too believe in local decision making, we\u2019ve been doing it for thousand of years,\u201d Keel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be engaged in all aspects of federal policy, and we have a right to be a huge participant in these matters,\u201d he said in his speech.<\/p>\n

Despite ongoing problems with relations between governments, Keel said the state of Indian Country is \u201cstrong, resilient and everlasting,\u201d pointing to benefits that tribes bring to American agriculture and infrastructure, among other areas.<\/p>\n

Franklin Pablo Sr., a Gila River Indian Community Council member who attended the address Monday, agreed with Keel that \u201coverall, Indian nations are strong\u201d but that more needs to be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope senators and congressmen were listening, because we need that unity \u2013 to have a collaboration between tribal and federal sides,\u201d Pablo said. The address kicks off four days of NCAI meetings, which Pablo called \u201ca place where we come to make things stronger, for all Indian to address some of these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

The issues range from tax reform to domestic violence, from rural broadband to farm policy, Keel said.<\/p>\n

He cited statistics that show tribal agriculture is a $3.2 billion industry that supports nearly 72,000 jobs, an industry that could be \u201csignificantly damaged\u201d should farm and infrastructure bills pass without consulting with Indian Country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Arizona, Native businesses generate hundreds of millions of tax dollars and pay $1.9 billion in wages to thousands of both Native and non-Native employees,\u201d said Keel, who identified the state as one of many whose \u201ctribes who serve as economic engines across this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNative businesses don\u2019t pull up stakes, even when market conditions change. We root our businesses in our local communities \u2013 for good,\u201d he said. \u201cYou want to \u2018buy American\u2019? Then do business with Indian Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keel said that tribal concerns were \u201ccompletely absent\u201d in the tax overhaul passed in December. As a result, the bill gave tax benefits and tax-exempt bonds to state and local governments that he said leave tribal government at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis inequity significantly handicaps tribal authority to provide much-needed government revenue for tribal programs and infrastructure and prevents economic growth on tribal lands,\u201d Keel said. \u201cTax reform is a unique opportunity for Congress to promote tribal sovereignty, self-determination and self-sufficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keel said the federal-tribal relationship must \u201calways be maintained and respected,\u201d arguing that state interference only limits tribal governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to respect our unique political status as real nations with capable governments, as enshrined in real treaties and the Constitution of the United States,\u201d Keel said.<\/p>\n

Rory Wheeler, a representative for Mesa-based United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY), said tribes need a voice because they face many of the same problems as other Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an emergency medical technician for my tribe, something I have noticed more and more in youth is the disastrous effects of the opioid epidemic,\u201d said Wheeler, a member of the Seneca tribe. \u201cWhile I am based in New York, the opioid crisis is a problem I have heard effects almost all tribes \u2013 even those based across the country, like Arizona.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wheeler said tribal sovereignty is important \u2013 and it\u2019s important for the next generation to continue the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a lot of Indian youth need right now is motivation and a sense of identity,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen the federal government recognizes us as sovereign nations who have a legitimate voice in what happens in our lands, the youth began to feel like they can actually have a voice in those lands too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keel said tribes are not asking for special treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we want is a level playing field,\u201d Keel said. \u201cWe have inherent rights. Not only were we born with them \u2013 we have earned them. The right to be recognized as equal governments. The right to be seated at the table where key decisions are made.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dec. 4, 2017, protesters gather outside of the Utah State Capitol where President Donald Trump speaks to local representatives in Salt Lake City. President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to drastically reduce and break up a national monument in Utah wasn\u2019t the only blow Native American tribes say they were dealt. The proclamation Trump signed changes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-76707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76707"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=76707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}