[Senate Hearing 112-720]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 112-720
RECLAIMING OUR IMAGE AND IDENTITY FOR THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
NOVEMBER 29, 2012
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Indian Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii, Chairman
JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming, Vice Chairman
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
KENT CONRAD, North Dakota LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington MIKE CRAPO, Idaho
JON TESTER, Montana MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska
TOM UDALL, New Mexico
AL FRANKEN, Minnesota
Loretta A. Tuell, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel
David A. Mullon Jr., Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on November 29, 2012................................ 1
Statement of Senator Akaka....................................... 1
Statement of Senator Barrasso.................................... 2
Statement of Senator Franken..................................... 4
Statement of Senator Tester...................................... 3
Witnesses
Carmelo, Tonantzin, Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) Nominated
Actor.......................................................... 32
Prepared statement........................................... 34
Lee, Andrew J., Trustee, National Museum of the American Indian,
Smithsonian Institution; Executive, Aetna, Inc................. 11
Prepared statement........................................... 13
McCracken, Sam, General Manager, NIKE N7; Chairman, N7 Fund...... 28
Prepared statement........................................... 30
Tahbone, Marjorie Linne Tungwenuk, Former Miss Indian World 2011-
2012........................................................... 37
Prepared statement........................................... 39
Titla, Mary Kim, Communications Officer, San Carlos Unified
School District;Board Member, National Indian Education
Association.................................................... 16
Prepared statement........................................... 19
Valbuena, Lynn, Chairwoman, Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian
Nations........................................................ 5
Prepared statement........................................... 9
RECLAIMING OUR IMAGE AND IDENTITY FOR THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS
----------
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Indian Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:15 p.m. in room
628, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Daniel K. Akaka,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA,
U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII
The Chairman. I call this hearing to order, the hearing of
the Committee on Indian Affairs. I want to say aloha and thank
you so much for being here today for the Committee's oversight
hearing on Reclaiming Our Image and Identity for the Next Seven
Generations.
Over the past few decades, November has been a time to
recognize and honor the contributions indigenous peoples have
made in the United States. At the Federal level, what began as
a day to honor Native peoples grew into a week and now it is
the entire month of November. President George H.W. Bush
declared in 1992 the Year of the American Indian.
But for Native peoples, every day is Native heritage day.
Every month is Native heritage month, and every year is the
year of the American Indian. Tribes celebrate their vibrant
cultures with centuries-old ceremonies, feasts, pow-wows and
other celebrations throughout the entire year. Native languages
are spoken, traditional foods are eaten. Songs and dances are
shared, and most importantly, these traditions are passed on to
the next generation.
The month of November provides Native peoples opportunity
to educate by sharing their history and culture with a larger
audience. Many times this begins with breaking down harmful
stereotypes of Native peoples perpetuated in many movies,
television shows and by Native-themed mascots.
Through continuous outreach and education, we will continue
reclaiming our image and identity. Indian Country is privileged
to have countless ambassadors, past and present, and many who
are here today to shine a positive light on Native cultures and
identity.
As we tell our stories, more people learn about our
contributions to government, military, science sports and other
fields. As we tell our stories, people learn about how the
Iroquois Confederacy influenced the founding fathers in
drafting the United States Constitution with the concepts of
freedom of speech, separation of powers and checks and
balances. As we tell our stories, people learn about the
contributions Natives had made to the United States Armed
Forces, including the work of the Code Talkers in World War I
and World War II.
As we tell our stories, people learn about our
contributions to science, including the work of Mary Golda
Ross, the first Native American female engineer, and one of the
most prominent scientists of the space age. As we tell our
stories, people learn about the Big Kahuna, Duke Kahanamoku, a
Native Hawaiian who was a five time Olympic medalist in
swimming, and a member of the surfing hall of fame. And this
was done in the 1920s. And Chris Wondolowski, from the Kawai
Tribe, who became the most valuable player of major league
soccer today.
Today, we have two excellent panels of witnesses who will
tell their stories and share their ideas on how we can continue
to reclaim our image and identity for future generations. At
this point, I would like to ask the members of the Committee to
make their opening statements, and I will call on our friend
and our leader here, Senator Barrasso, for his opening
statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING
Senator Barrasso. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank
you for holding this hearing. I want to thank all of our guests
for being here.
You introduced and I co-sponsored Senate Resolution 561,
naming November as the National Native American Heritage Month.
The resolution subsequently passed unanimously. Commemorating
National Native American Heritage Month in our hearing today
presents a very timely opportunity, an opportunity to reflect
on how you, Mr. Chairman, have been a champion for Native
Americans during your distinguished career in Congress.
Mr. Chairman, I am not certain if we will be having
additional hearings under your chairmanship and under your
leadership. I did want to say it has been a great honor for me
to serve with you as the Vice Chairman on this Committee. You
have been a great friend and a wonderful teacher to so many of
us that have had the privilege of working with and serving with
you. You have led by example in carrying out our bipartisan
tradition, and in your opening statement, you made reference to
the Big Kahuna. I always thought of you as the Big Kahuna.
[Laughter.]
Senator Barrasso. You have been a great friend to Indian
Country as well. As Chairman of this Committee, you have
brought to the forefront many pressing issues facing Indian
Country today. You have generated significant dialogue to build
upon for future Congresses. The challenges in Indian Country
can at times be daunting. Yet you, you so diligently worked to
find and to advance solutions which improve the lives of Indian
people.
So I just wanted you to know that I appreciate all of your
work, all of your dedication, on all of these matters. I do
again want to welcome the witnesses, thank them for their
testimony. But finally, Mr. Chairman, thank you for your
service to Indian Country and to this Nation as well. Thank
you, Mr. Chairman.
[Applause.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Now, Senator Jon Tester.
STATEMENT OF HON. JON TESTER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA
Senator Tester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also want to
welcome the witnesses in today's panels, and I will get to one
of them in a minute.
I too want to echo the Ranking Member's sentiments. I have
had the honor and privilege of serving on two committees now of
which you were chair. With you retiring out of the Senate after
this session is over with, I just want to say thank you, thank
you for your advocacy for the veterans across this Country in
the Veterans Affairs Committee which you chaired, and thank you
very much for your advocacy for Native Americans across this
Country. Your quiet style of leadership I very much appreciate.
You really have set the standard, and I want to thank you for
it and thank you for your serving as Chairman of this
Committee. I think you have made this Committee what it has
been over the last two years. I want to thank you for bringing
up important issues that impact Indian Country up and down the
line
The other person that I want to talk about very quickly is
a chap by the name of Sam McCracken, who works for Nike
Corporation, he oversees the N7 program. We will hear from Sam
on the second panel. Sam is a Native Montanan from Wolf Point,
I believe. We want to thank Sam for being here. We look forward
to your testimony.
As Montana's only member of the Indian Affairs Committee, I
am proud to represent the interests of Native Americans, not
only from Montana but also around the Country, to educate folks
about how we all play a role in making things better in Indian
Country. I have told this story very many times, about when I
first got elected to the Senate six years ago and met with some
Indian Tribes, talked about the challenges, and the challenges
were many. They were so many that I said, time out, prioritize
them. And the fact is, most if not all of the challenges that
Indian Country faces revolve around poverty. And things that we
can do to make that better, because we are not going to change
that overnight, it is going to take time, and we need to
continue to make inroads into the poverty that is in Indian
Country by putting forth common sense policies to address
those.
But the bottom line is, there are a lot of other things we
can do, and that is what this hearing is about, to reflect a
better, positive self-image. I think it is critical, in this
image-conscious society that we live in today.
Now, last year, we had a hearing on this issue. I think it
was helpful. But we need to know: are we headed in the right
direction? Are we moving the ball down the court? Is modern
media educating our communities in the proper way? I look
forward to hearing from the witnesses about how things have
gotten better, hopefully not worse. But if they have, I want to
hear about that, too. Because we have to really listen for
specific policies, specific recommendations for what this
Committee can really push forward to improve the situation,
focusing on those things that are truly bipartisan in nature.
With that, Mr. Chairman, once again, thank you for your
service.
The Chairman. Thank you. Thank you very much, Senator Jon
Tester.
Senator Al Franken?
STATEMENT OF HON. AL FRANKEN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA
Senator Franken. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to
associate myself with the comments of the Vice Chairman and
Senator Tester in thanking you for your leadership on this
Committee and your consistent efforts to support Native people.
The only part I don't want to associate myself with
however, is that I never thought you were the Big Kahuna. I
would like to disassociate myself there from the Vice Chairman.
[Laughter.]
Senator Franken. But I would echo everything else he said
about your leadership and your bipartisanship, even if what I
just said didn't seem bipartisan.
Your dedication to American Indians, to Native peoples, is
inspiring. I want to thank you in particular for helping to
pass the Nelson Act, after so many years. With your help, we
were able to resolve a 60-year old issue and now six bands of
the Minnesota Ojibwe Tribe can access the funds that are
rightfully theirs.
This year is the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Dakota War
of 1862. It is an anniversary that serves really as a reminder
of why this hearing is so important. This terrible war resulted
in hundreds of deaths, the expulsion of the Dakota from
Minnesota, and the hanging of 38 Dakota men, the largest
execution in American history. Tragedies like the U.S.-Dakota
War happened across the map of this Country during our Nation's
early years, and remind us of why it is so important to
commemorate Native Tribes and their contributions to this
Country and their history.
I was proud to join many of my colleagues on this Committee
in introducing the resolution to designate November as National
Native American Heritage Month. And I look forward to the
testimonies of all our witnesses. We must continue to highlight
contributions of indigenous peoples all across our Country and
to support Tribal efforts to reclaim their identity, their
culture, their history, their language. That is why I was so
happy to co-sponsor Senator Johnson's bill authorizing the
Native American Languages Program.
I got to see one such program in action myself when I
visited the White Earth Band of the Ojibwe's Circle of Life
Academy, which offers daily Ojibwe culture and language
classes. These programs are vitally important to keeping the
culture alive, which is part of keeping your identity alive.
American Indians are contemporary people. And we all need to
understand that you are contemporary people, but you have a
culture.
I grew up in a town where we had the most Jewish suburb of
Minneapolis, and we had Hebrew school. That is our language,
and that is part of our identity. So when I go to a pow-wow and
see Native members of Tribes in Minnesota celebrate their
culture, they are doing what every culture in the Country does,
which is celebrate their culture. But the American Indian has a
special place, because they were the first, you were the first
Americans.
So I want to thank you, all the witnesses, for coming
today. And I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman. If Big Kahuna
sticks, I will go with it.
[Laughter.]
Senator Franken. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Al Franken.
Senator Franken. I will be here all week.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. As Chairman, it is my goal to ensure that we
hear from all who want to contribute to the discussion. The
hearing record is open for two weeks from today. I encourage
everyone to submit your comments through written testimony.
Serving on our first panel is Ms. Lynn Valbuena,
Chairwoman, Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations; Mr.
Andrew J. Lee, Trustee, The National Museum of the American
Indian and Executive at Aetna Inc.; Ms. Mary Kim Titla,
Educator/Journalist. Welcome, all of you here, to this hearing
today.
Ms. Valbuena, will you please proceed with your testimony?
STATEMENT OF LYNN VALBUENA, CHAIRWOMAN, TRIBAL ALLIANCE OF
SOVEREIGN INDIAN NATIONS
Ms. Valbuena. Thank you, Chairman Akaka.
Good afternoon, Chairman Akaka, Vice Chairman Barrasso and
distinguished members of the Committee. My name is Lynn
Valbuena, Chairwoman of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian
Nations, or TASIN, as we are more commonly referred to. I am
also the former Vice Chair of the San Manuel Band of Mission
Indians near San Bernardino, California, and previously served
as Secretary of the National Indian Gaming Association.
I currently serve as the Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution's National Museum of American Indians. I am also a
trustee for the Autry National Museum in Los Angeles,
California.
Thank you for holding this hearing. TASIN is an
intergovernmental association of nine federally-recognized
Tribal governments throughout southern California. Our members
include the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the
Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Cahuilla Band of
Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, the Pechanga Band of
Luiseno Indians, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Santa
Rosa Band of Mission Indians, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash
Indians and the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians.
Our purpose is to protect and promote the Tribal sovereign
governmental rights, our cultural identity and interests of
federally-recognized Tribes located within the Federal Central
District within the State of California. TASIN and member
Tribes have been at the forefront of almost every major public
policy issue in California affecting Tribal governments, either
sponsoring or helping to change or shape legislation regarding
Indian Heath Welfare, the Indian Gaming Special Distribution
Fund, sacred sites protection, Internet gaming, protection of
Tribal gaming exclusivity, off-reservation gaming, and the
Revenue Sharing Trust Fund for non-gaming Tribes.
I thank and commend you, Chairman Akaka, and members of the
Committee and all of the senior staff here today for your
diligence in reaching out to Indian Country throughout the
year. We hope future committees will continue the regular and
ongoing dialogue with Indian Country that you have helped to
initiate.
Our Native culture is central to the identity of American
Indians. Our traditions, our belief systems, our inherent
rights, our way of life, have all been handed down by our
forefathers generation by generation.
My daughter teaches my grandchildren the stories and
traditions I taught her as a child, just like my mother did,
who learned them from my grandmother, who taught me. My mother,
Pauline Murillo, intuitively understood and would often talk
about Indian people living in two worlds. In fact, I brought a
book today to show you, my mother did write this book, Living
in Two Worlds, that she did publish. I would like to give all
of you a book when I leave today. This will tell of her life
living in two worlds.
She and my grandmother instilled in us kids the importance
of educating the public and non-Indian people about who we are
as Tribes and Tribal people. In fact, my mother even wrote a
book about her experiences of living on the San Manuel Indian
Reservation while she was also being an active citizen in the
non-Indian world.
Growing up, my mother and other Tribal children were teased
and harassed by the non-Indian kids. They tolerated and endured
a lot of bigotry and isolation, just like so many of our Tribal
elders across the Country, because of stereotypes and
inaccuracies. But the foundation of the modern rights and
identity of sovereign nations is our unique legacy of
traditions, language, values and beliefs, tested throughout
history that shape and inform every Tribal member.
It is for this reason, and despite past misguided Federal
policies, hostilities, Hollywood stereotypes and hardships
suffered by American Indians, that the self-identity of
America's indigenous people remains strong and vibrant. We know
who we are: the descendants of the original people who governed
this land now called America. We are also her stewards.
For much of the 20th century, the stereotype of a Native
person was that of a feather bonnet-wearing Indian living in a
tepee. I remember growing up and being asked about my tepee and
if I put on my costume and feathers when I get home back to the
reservation. But tepees, of course, were not indigenous to
Southern California.
Another heinous stereotype, which sadly continues to be
perpetuated today, is that of the drunken Indian. Sadly, most
of the public believes the stereotype. In 2010, TASIN conducted
a statewide public opinion poll of California voters and found
that 60 percent of respondents believe Indians living on a
reservation have a high degree of alcoholism and substance
abuse. Obviously, we recognize the rate of alcoholism and
substance abuse among Native Americans being higher than the
general population, but at the same time, a 2007 study by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found
that fewer American Indians and Alaska Natives used alcohol in
the past year as compared to other racial groups.
Yet, the perception continues to hold. This has deep
consequences for our youth since their self-worth has such a
bearing on their long-term success in life. Research has
concluded that negative stereotypes foster feelings of
inferiority, shame and low self-esteem among our Native youth.
Low self-esteem, which has been linked to academic performance
and social adjustment, has also been identified as a factor in
Native youth's historically low high school graduation rates
and high suicide and homicide rates.
I submit to you that history demands that we define
ourselves to the non-Native world; otherwise these and other
stereotypes will take hold and redefine our children and
grandchildren.
Clearly, IGRA's policy goal of promoting Tribal economic
development, self-sufficiency, and strong Tribal governments
through Indian gaming has brought unprecedented economic
opportunities to Tribes and Tribal people. But it has also
thrust Indian Tribes and Indian people into a very bright
spotlight, raising awareness and creating greater interest into
our way of life that for generations has been deeply cherished
and held private.
To a large extent, IGRA's success has resulted in a new
stereotype: that every Indian is wealthy and owns a casino. In
fact, our public opinion survey from 2010 found that 53 percent
of Californians think Indian casinos have made Indian people
rich. Naturally, this perception breeds envy and results in a
backlash toward Tribes which creates new challenges with real
policy and human consequences.
In 2003, for example, Arnold Schwarzenegger ran a political
ad saying he would force Tribes to pay their fair share. He
exploited the commonly misunderstood circumstance that Tribal
government gaming operations don't pay taxes. Of course he
ignored the long-held principle that governments don't tax
other governments. And when Schwarzenegger became governor, he
demanded Tribes renegotiate their compacts and make payments
into the State's general fund in order to help solve the
State's budget crises.
The result of this misguided policy was that the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled Schwarzenegger
negotiated in bad-faith by effectively demanding an illegal
tax. Even many elected officials, the people charged with
policymaking, are also uninformed about our rights and who we
are.
This is one of the reasons TASIN has partnered with the
California League of Cities, which is a coalition of 478 cities
in California, to help educate elected officials at the local
government level about Tribal governments. Each year, TASIN
participates in an annual conference, and we welcome the local
officials to come by and ask us questions about what we do.
They always come by and ask us, are you here to build another
casino, we want one in our city. The first year we
participated, several elected officials asked, ``why are the
Indians at our conference? What is the purpose of you being
here? Why are you building more casinos?'` Even today, some
just don't understand that we have governmental rights and
responsibilities.
That is why several TASIN Tribes every year undertake an
educational campaign to bring awareness to people throughout
our region about our rights, history and our cultural heritage.
Every year, my Tribe and other Tribal governments air and place
ads in regional media to tell our story in our way. We
recognize that we bear the responsibility of educating non-
Native people about ourselves, but Congress and this Committee
can and should take a couple of simple steps to help us,
particularly since past Federal policies have contributed to
and perpetuated the stereotypes that exist.
It is very fitting that this hearing is held this month,
November. November, as you are aware, is National American
Indian Heritage Month. Before, it was Native American Week,
which was held in November, then September, then the first week
of December. My point is, not until 1995 have Presidents issued
annual proclamations consistently designating November as
National American Indian Heritage Month. And we deeply
appreciate that President Obama signed into law the Native
American Heritage Day Act of 2009, declaring the Friday after
Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. This was an
important and long overdue acknowledgment by Congress, but we
all need to do more to raise awareness of this important month
and day.
If you were to ask most Americans what the day after
Thanksgiving is called, I would venture to guess that 99.9
percent would say Black Friday instead of Native American
Heritage Day. We all need to do more to raise awareness about
this important day if we expect it to become a meaningful and
relevant American tradition like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
Labor Day, or even Columbus Day.
Another important step this Committee can take is to
reauthorize and fund the Esther Martinez Native American
Languages Preservation Act, which was enacted in 2006 to
preserve and increase fluency in Native American languages.
Language shapes everyone's identity, but for Native communities
there is an urgent need to protect our languages from
extinction.
In closing, let me say that we recognize that most
education policy is decided at the State and local levels.
However, you in Congress can do a lot to encourage States and
school districts to adopt curricula that accurately reflect the
history, culture, and experience of local American Indian
Tribes. As early as the 1950s, my mother and grandmother would
visit local schools to counteract inaccurate and misleading
stereotypes of Indian people. They worked hard to teach as many
people as they could. More than 50 years later, we are still
visiting schools to correct inaccurate accounts of our history
and our culture. Tribal people should not be in the position of
constantly having to undo misperceptions caused in part by
flawed policies.
In California, Tribes have worked for more than a decade to
encourage the adoption of curriculum that teaches local
children about the history and culture of the local Tribes. We
still have more work to do, but we believe accurate and
appropriate lessons would go a long way toward helping to undo
stereotypes and misunderstandings.
Indian Tribes and Indian people are part of America's past,
present and future. We look for Congress's collaboration into
the future so that our image and identity is strong and vibrant
for the next seven generations. And as my mother and
grandmother would always tell me, never forget who you are and
where you came from.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Valbuena follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman, Tribal Alliance of
Sovereign Indian Nations
Good afternoon, Chairman Akaka, Vice Chairman Barrasso and
distinguished Members of the Committee.
I am Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign
Indian Nations, or TASIN as we are more commonly referred to. I am also
the former Vice Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
near San Bernardino, California and previously served as secretary of
the National Indian Gaming Association; I currently serve as the
secretary for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the
American Indian and as a Trustee for the Autry National Center in Los
Angeles.
Thank you for holding this hearing.
TASIN is an intergovernmental association of nine federally
recognized tribal governments throughout Southern California. Our
members include the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the
Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the
Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, the San
Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Santa Rosa Band of Mission Indians,
the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and the Soboba Band of Luiseno
Indians.
Our purpose is to protect and promote the tribal sovereign
government rights, the cultural identity and interests of federally
recognized tribes located within the Federal Central Judicial District
within the State of California.
TASIN and member tribes have been at the forefront of almost every
major public policy issue in California affecting tribal governments,
either sponsoring or helping to shape legislation regarding Indian
Child Welfare, the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund, sacred
sites protection, Internet Gaming, protection of tribal gaming
exclusivity, off-reservation gaming, and the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund
for non-gaming tribes.
I thank and commend you, Chairman Akaka, members of the Committee
and senior staff for your diligence in reaching out to Indian Country
throughout the last year. We hope future committees will continue the
regular and ongoing dialogue with Indian Country that you have helped
to initiate.
Our Native culture is central to the identity of American Indians.
Our traditions, our belief systems, our inherent rights--our way of
life--have all been handed down by our forefathers generation by
generation.
My daughter teaches my grandchildren the stories and traditions I
taught her as a child, just like my mother, who learned them from my
grandmother, taught them to me.
My mother, Pauline Murillo, intuitively understood and would often
talk about Indian people living in two worlds. She and my grandmother
instilled in us kids the importance of educating the public and non-
Indian people about who we are as tribes and tribal people.
In fact, my mother even wrote a book about her experiences of
living on the San Manuel Reservation while also being an active citizen
in the non-Indian world.
Growing up, my mother and other tribal children were teased and
harassed by the non-Indian kids. They tolerated and endured a lot of
bigotry and isolation, just like so many of our tribal elders across
the country, because of stereotypes and inaccuracies.
But the foundation of the modern rights and identity of sovereign
nations is our unique legacy of traditions, language, values, and
beliefs, tested throughout history that shapes and informs every tribal
member.
It is for this reason, and despite past misguided federal policies,
hostilities, Hollywood stereotypes, and hardships suffered by American
Indians, that the self-identity of America's indigenous people remains
strong and vibrant.
We know who we are: the descendants of the original people who
governed this land now called America. We are also her stewards.
For much of the 20th century, the stereotype of a Native person was
that of a feather bonnet-wearing Indian living in a tepee. I remember
growing up and being asked about my tepee and if I put on my costume
when I get home back on the reservation. But tepees, of course, were
not indigenous to Southern California.
Another heinous stereotype, which sadly continues to be perpetuated
today, is that of the drunken Indian. Sadly, most of the public
believes the stereotype. In 2010, TASIN conducted a statewide public
opinion poll of California voters and found that 60 percent of
respondents believe Indians living on a reservation have a high degree
of alcoholism and substance abuse.
Obviously we recognize the rate of alcoholism and substance abuse
among Native Americans is higher than the general population, but at
the same time a 2007 study by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health
Services Administration found that fewer American Indians and Alaska
Natives used alcohol in the past year as compared to other racial
groups.
Yet, the perception continues to hold, and this has deep
consequences for our youth since their self-worth has such a bearing on
their long-term success in life. Research has concluded that negative
stereotypes foster feelings of inferiority, shame, and low self-esteem
among Native youth. \1\ Low self-esteem, which has been linked to
academic performance and social adjustment, has also been identified as
a factor in Native youth's historically low high school graduation
rates \2\ and high suicide and homicide rates. \3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Pewewardy, 2004.
\2\ Payment, 2011.
\3\ Harjo, 1990; Young, 1993; Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2012
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I submit to you that history demands that we define ourselves to
the non-Native world; otherwise these and other stereotypes will take
hold and redefine our children and grandchildren.
Clearly, IGRA's policy goal of promoting tribal economic
development, self-sufficiency, and strong tribal governments through
Indian Gaming has brought unprecedented economic opportunities to
tribes and tribal people. But it has also thrust Indian tribes and
Indian people into a very bright spotlight, raising awareness and
creating greater interest into our way of life that for generations has
been deeply cherished and held private.
To a large extent, IGRA's success has resulted in a new stereotype:
that every Indian is wealthy and owns a casino. In fact, our public
opinion survey from 2010 found that 53 percent of Californians think
Indian casinos have made Indian people rich.
Naturally, this perception breeds envy and results in a backlash
toward tribes, which creates new challenges with real policy and human
consequences.
In 2003, for example, Arnold Schwarzenegger ran a political ad
saying he would force tribes to ``pay their fair share.'' He exploited
the commonly misunderstood circumstance that tribal government gaming
operations don't pay taxes. Of course he ignored the long-held
principle that governments don't tax other governments.
And when Schwarzenegger became governor, he demanded tribes
renegotiate their compacts and make payments into the State's General
Fund in order to help solve the state's budget crises.
The result of this misguided policy was that the 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals last year ruled Schwarzenegger negotiated in bad-faith by
effectively demanding an illegal tax.
Even many elected officials--the people charged with policymaking--
are also uninformed about our rights and who we are.
This is one of the reasons TASIN has partnered with the League of
California Cities, a coalition of 478 cities, to help educate elected
officials at the local government level about tribal governments. Each
year, we participate in their annual conference and each year without
fail, local officials will come by and ask us to build a casino in
their cities. The first year we participated, several elected officials
asked, ``why are the Indians at our conference, what's the purpose? Are
you trying to build more casinos?'' Even today, some just don't
understand that we have governmental rights and responsibilities.
This is why several TASIN tribes every year undertake educational
campaigns to bring awareness to people throughout our region about our
rights, history, and cultural heritage. Every year, my tribe and other
tribal governments air and place ads in regional media to tell our
story in our way.
We recognize that we bear the responsibility of educating non-
Native people about ourselves, but Congress and this Committee can and
should take a couple of simple steps to help us, particularly since
past federal policies have contributed to and perpetuated the
stereotypes that exist today.
It is very fitting that this hearing is held this month--November.
November, as you are aware, is National American Indian Heritage Month.
Before it was Native American Week, which was held in November,
then September, then the first week of December. My point is: not until
1995 have presidents issued annual proclamations consistently
designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month.
And we deeply appreciate that President Obama signed into law the
Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009, declaring the Friday after
Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. This was an important and
long overdue acknowledgment by Congress, but we all need to do more to
raise awareness of this important month and day.
If you were to ask most Americans what the day after Thanksgiving
is called, I would venture to guess that 99.9 percent would say its
``Black Friday'' instead of Native American Heritage Day. We all need
to do more to raise awareness about this important day if we expect it
to become a meaningful and relevant American tradition like Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day, Labor Day, or even Columbus Day.
Another important step this committee can take is to reauthorize
and fund the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation
Act, which was enacted in 2006 to preserve and increase fluency in
Native American languages. Language shapes everyone's identity, but for
Native communities there is an urgent need to protect our languages
from extinction.
In closing, let me say that we recognize that most education policy
is decided at the state and local levels; however, you and Congress can
do a lot to encourage states and school districts to adopt curricula
that accurately reflect the history, culture, and experience of local
American Indian tribes.
As early as the 1950s my mother and grandmother would visit local
schools to counteract inaccurate and misleading stereotypes of Indian
people. They worked hard to teach as many people as they could. More
than 50 years later, we are still visiting schools to correct
inaccurate accounts of our history and our culture. Tribal people
should not be in the position of constantly having to undo
misperceptions caused in part by flawed policies.
In California, tribes have worked for more than a decade to
encourage the adoption of curriculum that teaches local children about
the history and culture of the local tribes.
We still have more work to do, but we believe accurate and
appropriate lessons would go a long ways toward helping to undo
stereotypes and misunderstanding.
Indian tribes and Indian people are part of America's past,
present, and its future. We look for Congress's collaboration into the
future so that our image and identity is strong and vibrant for the
next seven generations.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you very much for your testimony.
Mr. Lee, please proceed with your testimony.
STATEMENT OF ANDREW J. LEE, TRUSTEE, NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION; EXECUTIVE, AETNA, INC.
Mr. Lee. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the
Committee.
My name is Andrew Lee. My Seneca name is Ono-dah-Geyh. I am
a trustee of the National Museum of the American Indian, and a
member of several boards serving Indian Country. I currently
work at Aetna, where I am president of one of the company's new
businesses. I also have the honor of serving as a Young Global
Leader of the World Economic Forum.
As a mixed-race Native, it took me many years to view my
background and heritage as assets that allowed me to walk
comfortably in many worlds. When I moved to New York City in
the mid-1990s, it became clear that I could help shape how
Indians are viewed. One day I asked a friendly-looking man if
he had seen an article about American Indians in that day's
newspaper. He had. And then he added, but I think they got it
right in South America by wiping out the indigenous population.
I said nothing and walked way. But after that, I went out
of my way to spend time with him. We talked about Wall Street,
history and the arts. And I never brought up that repulsive
comment. Over time, I introduced him to Indian sovereignty.
Ultimately, he became an unlikely ally.
For me, this experience underscored the need to build
bridges of understanding across communities, cultures and
sectors. Most importantly, it taught me that I can make a
difference. My career has spanned philanthropy, American Indian
affairs and now business. Across this diversity, I have
remained committed to building bridges, whether it is
encouraging mainstream philanthropy to pay attention to Native
America, helping Tribes share best practices or finding ways
for corporations to work with Native populations.
Although I no longer work on Indian issues as my day job, I
stay very involved through volunteerism and board service.
Reflecting on my journey, I would like to offer three ideas
about image and identity. First, our ability to reclaim our
image and identity is inextricably tied to our continued
support for the policy of self-determination. Extensive
research concludes that successful Indian nations assert the
right to govern themselves. And they exercise that right by
building capable and culturally-appropriate institutions of
self-governance.
Astonishing success is possible when Indian nations put
themselves in the driver's seat for decisionmaking on
everything from social service provision to natural resource
management. The right way forward is to sustain and advance
this policy of self-determination, enabling Tribes to define
themselves and govern themselves to brighter futures.
Second, we should showcase the growing number of success
stories in contemporary Native America. Indian nations are at
the forefront of innovation, like the Winnebago Tribe, which
turned around its economy, plagued by 60 percent unemployment,
by launching a diversified Tribal enterprise. Like the Tohono
O'odham Nation, building a skilled nursing facility that is now
a national model. Or the Zuni, building the first-ever eagle
sanctuary operated by Indians. These success stories paint a
picture of Native America that is very different from what we
see on television or learn from textbooks.
Finally, we need to accelerate the ascension of Natives
into positions of influence in all aspects of society. No
nation, Native or non-Native, can be successful over the long
term without its best and brightest participating in public
service. Too often, however, talent leaves reservations.
Indian nations can reverse this trend by creating
environments that nurture talent, where people with good ideas
are supported by a well-functioning government. Tribal
governments can help by engaging their off-reservation citizens
in Tribal affairs, training their elected officials and
teaching Tribal civics.
In this inter-connected world, we also need more Natives to
take on positions of leadership in business, non-Native
government and civil society. I look forward to seeing more
Natives among the ranks of Rhodes scholars, U.S. Ambassadors,
CEOs and Nobel Prize winners. This is possible if we set our
sights high, ensure youth know what opportunities exist and
work with diverse stakeholders to make sure they partner with
Indian Country, not only because it is the right thing to do
but because it leads to better outcomes from everyone.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for bringing this concept of seven
generations to the floor. I believe we can and will reclaim a
positive American Indian image and identity for the next seven
generations. But it requires that we all remain steadfast in
our support for self-determination, tell the many stories of
Tribal success and cultivate Native leadership into positions
of influence within and beyond Indian Country. If we do these
things, we will do our part to restore Indian nations to their
rightful place of honor among the world's great nations.
Thank you for this opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Lee follows:]
Prepared Statement of Andrew J. Lee, Trustee, National Museum of the
American Indian, Smithsonian Institution; Executive, Aetna, Inc.
Introduction
Good afternoon Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice-Chairman, and members of the
Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear here today. My name
is Andrew Lee; my Seneca Indian name is Ono-dah-geyh. \1\ I have the
pleasure of serving as a trustee of the Smithsonian's National Museum
of the American Indian, as well as numerous other boards and advisory
councils in service to Indian Country. Currently, I am an executive at
Aetna Inc., where I am president of one of Aetna's new non-insurance
businesses, serve on the board of directors for the Aetna Foundation,
and lead an employee resource group dedicated to American Indian
issues. I also have the honor of serving as a Young Global Leader of
the World Economic Forum, which each year selects up to 200 individuals
under age 40 from around the world who share a commitment to shaping
the global future.
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\1\ This testimony and the opinions expressed at the November 29
hearing are solely those of Andrew J. Lee, and do not reflect the
opinions of the Smithsonian Institution, Aetna Inc., the World Economic
Forum, or any other organization or affiliation.
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My Personal and Professional Journey
As a mixed heritage Native, it took me many years to become
comfortable with my identity. As a boy, I thought being half-Seneca was
a convenient novelty. To my non-Indian friends, it meant I was
naturally good at shooting arrows, playing lacrosse, and connecting
with the outdoors. By high school, I did not think about or talk very
much about my heritage because I wanted to be just like all the other
non-Native kids. In college, my attitude changed when I met a professor
who challenged me to imagine ways I could give back to my community. I
began to think of my background and heritage as assets, and I started
to develop a sense of responsibility to make a positive difference in
the lives of others.
This responsibility became much clearer after I finished graduate
school and moved to New York City to start my career. One day, I struck
up a conversation with a friendly enough looking man and asked him if
he had seen an interesting article about American Indians in that day's
newspaper. He responded yes, he had seen the article. Then he added,
but I think they got it right in South America by wiping out the
indigenous population. Stunned by what I heard, I decided it was not a
good idea to respond in the way I wanted. Instead, I said nothing and
walked away.
The next morning, I decided I needed to get to know this person. So
virtually every day for two years, I went out of my way to spend time
with him. I discovered that he was a highly educated and widely
respected individual. We talked about Wall Street, politics, history,
and the arts--and I never brought up the repulsive remark he made. Over
time, I introduced him to the concepts of Indian sovereignty and self-
determination. Though I never would have imagined it possible, he
eventually came to support the dignity, strengths, and diversity of
this country's first peoples. When he died a few years ago, we lost an
unlikely ally.
This experience in the mid-1990s showed me the importance of
changing attitudes, the value of exchanging knowledge, and the need for
individuals who are able--and willing--to build bridges of
understanding across communities, cultures, and sectors. Perhaps most
importantly, this experience taught me that I can help build those
bridges.
My career has also been an amalgamation of experiences, with some
unlikely twists. I had an incredible opportunity to work in the field
of American Indian affairs for the better part of a decade, serving as
the executive director of the Harvard Project on American Indian
Economic Development, where I was the founding director of the Honoring
Nations tribal governance awards program. After that, nearly eight
years ago, I decided to enter the business world, motivated in part by
the fact there are so few Indians working in positions of leadership in
corporate America and wanting to push myself with a completely new
professional experience. Importantly, I have found I can build bridges
in my own career by working for a world class Fortune 100 company while
staying very involved in Indian affairs through volunteerism and board
service. I have the privilege, for example, to serve as a trustee of
the National Museum of the American Indian, which tells the real story
of Native peoples in the Western Hemisphere, educating and inspiring
millions of visitors from America and around the globe.
Ideas for Reclaiming Image and Identity
Reflecting on my personal and professional journey, I would like to
offer three ideas for how we can positively shape our image and
identity for the next seven generations.
First, our ability to reclaim our image and identity is
inextricably tied to our continued support for the policy of self-
determination. Nearly two decades of research by my former colleagues
at the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development points
to a fundamental conclusion: Successful Indian nations assert the right
to govern themselves, and they exercise that right effectively by
building capable and culturally appropriate institutions of self-
governance. Astonishing success is possible when tribes seize control
of their own futures, spend less time blaming `others' for their
problems and instead put themselves in the driver's seat for
decisionmaking--on everything from running their health care to
building and managing their own law enforcement systems, and from
creating their own culturally relevant, yet stringent, standards for
educational achievement to managing the natural resources on their
lands in a responsible manner that is informed by tradition.
The Federal Government can play an important role in helping Indian
nations rise to their full potential by sustaining self-determination
as the cornerstone of U.S. Indian policy. Clearly, a continuing view of
Indian nations merely as wards of the Federal Government is untenable.
The Federal Government can provide expanded opportunities for tribes to
exercise their sovereignty in fresh ways, offer even greater
flexibility in how funding is used within the confines of mutual
accountability, and support tribal efforts to reform their
constitutions and governments in culturally appropriate ways. It is
telling that the policy of self-determination is the only policy
approach in over a century that has led to meaningful improvements in
the material health and welfare of Indian Country. The right way
forward is to stay the course on self-determination, facilitating
Indian nations' ability to govern themselves to brighter futures.
Second, we have a collective responsibility to showcase the
incredible stories of tribal success in this era of self-determination.
Throughout history, American Indians have made enormous contributions
to humanity. The Iroquois Confederacy was an important influence in the
development of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Sacajawea's incredible leadership was instrumental to the success of
the Lewis and Clark expedition. And Natives pioneered countless
agricultural, medical, architectural, and other innovations on which
the rest of the world now depends. As one of my distinguished
colleagues in the field of Indian affairs is fond of saying, when it
comes to Native America, ``the truth is much more interesting than the
lies.'' Yet these truths are rarely communicated to the next
generation.
Too often, we fail to pay sufficient attention to the impressive
success stories of contemporary Native America, which are becoming
easier to find. That needs to change. As we have learned from Harvard's
Honoring Nations tribal governance awards program, tribes are at the
forefront of innovation, doing lots of small and big things that
contribute to a better future for Native people and the world more
generally: \2\
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\2\ Summaries provided by the Harvard Project on American Indian
Economic Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. For
more information, visit www.hpaied.org.
Chartered under the laws of the Winnebago Tribe and wholly
owned by the Tribe, Ho-Chunk, Inc. was launched in 1994 to
diversify the Tribe's business interests while maintaining a
separation between business and tribal government. The general
purpose company promotes economic self-sufficiency and creates
jobs through its actively managed enterprises, joint ventures,
and passive investments, which include hotels, convenience
stores, websites, and an order fulfillment center. Today, Ho-
Chunk, Inc. employs more than 1,400 people and has 24
businesses with operations in ten states and four foreign
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countries.
The Lummi Indian nation established the Lummi Tribal Sewer
and Water District in 1983 to ensure the Nation's role in the
provision of safe drinking water and discharge of clean
wastewater across and beyond its reservation, located 100 miles
north of Seattle. The District's managerial, financial, and
technical competence--emerging at a time when the Lummi Nation
confronted serious challenges to its jurisdiction over non-
tribally owned lands within the reservation--has enhanced
tribal sovereignty while providing critical infrastructure
services to the reservation's 5,000+ Native and non-Native
residents.
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians have long depended on
the fish that live in Red Lake, the sixth largest body of
freshwater in the United States, located in Minnesota. Both the
waters and the walleye of the lake are central to the Red Lake
Band people, its history, economy, and culture. But by the mid-
1990s, the walleye population had collapsed from over-fishing.
Taking drastic but necessary action, the Band negotiated a
consensus arrangement with local fisherman and state and
federal officials to ban fishing in the lake. Over a ten-year
period the fish recovered at an astonishing rate. The tribally
led Red Lake Recovery Project now determines when, how, and who
can fish the historic waters from which the Band claims its
name.
For decades Tohono O'odham elders in need of skilled nursing
had to move far away from family and friends to receive care,
or stay home and forgo long term care services. However, with
the opening of the Archie Hendricks, Sr. Skilled Nursing
Facility, O'odham elders can now remain in the community.
Combining today's latest technologies and world-class clinical
care with traditional values, the nursing home has become one
of the finest elder care facilities anywhere in the United
States.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
(CTUIR) have become one of the largest employers in Eastern
Oregon, and along with economic success came the return of
tribal citizens. A lack of transportation options, however,
prevented tribal citizens from taking advantage of local
employment opportunities. In 2001, CTUIR Public Transit was
started to address the need for public transportation. The
comprehensive system includes both a free bus and a taxi
voucher service, encompassing a large service area within and
beyond the reservation boundaries, which is interconnected with
other non-tribal regional systems. Remarkably, the transit
system has helped alleviate poverty, promoted stronger inter-
governmental relations, and facilitated cross-cultural
understanding as Native and non-Native ride together.
Created in 1999, the Zuni Eagle Sanctuary is the first eagle
sanctuary owned and operated by Native Americans as well as the
first aviary constructed for the purpose of cultural
preservation. Combining both functional aspects of eagle care
with an aesthetic that reflects the natural surroundings of
Zuni, the Sanctuary is home to more than two dozen eagles that
otherwise would have been destroyed. Successfully meeting the
Zuni's demand for molted eagle feathers that are used in
religious and cultural ceremonies, the Sanctuary is also a
model of intergovernmental cooperation between a tribal
government and federal agency.
These and countless other stories of Native ingenuity and success
are powerful. They give tribal decision makers fresh ideas and
practical knowledge about how to create sustainable economies, improve
service delivery, and manage vital resources. These stories also raise
the bar for tribal government performance and shape dreams of what is
possible.
At the same time, these success stories present a picture of Native
America that is very different from what we see on television, and
different from what children learn in social studies. These are stories
that need to be told because they help restore Indian nations to their
rightful place of honor among the world's nations.
And finally, we need to accelerate the ascension of Natives into
positions of influence in all areas of society--starting with tribal
governments and extending beyond Indian Country. While there are many
reasons why Natives have faced, and continue to face, long odds
bringing individual achievement to scale, I believe we need to do
better.
One area that needs our attention is tribal governance. No nation--
Native or non-Native--can be successful over the long term without some
of its best and brightest participating in public service. While there
are a growing number of tribes developing, attracting, and retaining
leadership from within their own populations, the unfortunate presence
of nepotism, cronyism, and rent-seeking behavior persists in far too
many places. Indian nations can stop the flood of talent leaving their
reservations. The challenge for tribal leaders and, indeed, communities
themselves is to create an environment where talent can be nurtured,
where hard work is expected and appreciated, and where people with good
ideas are encouraged and supported. To be sure, creating this kind of
environment is not easy--but it is necessary.
The good news is that in this era of self-determination, there are
many things Indian nations can do. I have been inspired by
interventions made by forward-thinking tribes, such as investing in
youth leadership programs that give young people a formal voice in
tribal affairs, finding ways to engage off-reservation citizenry to
participate in tribal government, developing formal training programs
for tribal legislators and candidates so they are prepared to govern,
and ensuring children on the reservation and in surrounding communities
are taught tribal civics.
I would also submit that in an increasingly complex and
interconnected world, we need more Natives to take on positions of
leadership in business, non-Native government, and civil society. This
does not conflict with the need to attract the best and brightest to
serve in tribal government. Rather, it means we need to expand
significantly the pool of available talent. Both the Federal Government
and the tribes can facilitate this through smart investments in
education, training, and enrichment programs. I look forward to the day
that Natives are appropriately represented in institutions and programs
with national and global significance. That we see more Native
participation among the ranks of Rhodes scholars, MacArthur fellows,
Young Global Leaders, White House Fellows, and Nobel prize winners.
That more Native kids and young professionals set their sights on
becoming U.S. ambassadors, serving as CEOs of global companies,
becoming board members of major foundations, and launching start-ups.
We need to set our sights high, make sure our young people know what
opportunities exist, and work with diverse stakeholders in business,
government, and civil society to make sure they are partnering with
Indian Country not only because it is the right thing to do, but also
because it leads to better outcomes for everyone.
Conclusion
Like most Haudenosaunee, I was taught at an early age that before
making important decisions, we have a responsibility to reflect on the
wisdom of seven generations behind us, and to consider the impact of
our decisions seven generations ahead.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for bringing this principle of seven
generations to the fore. When it comes to image and identity, there is
a lot at stake for Indian people. My own experiences working with
Indians and non-Indians make me optimistic we can build new bridges of
understanding. And a big part of what it'll take to reclaim our image
and identity in a very positive way for the next seven generations is
to stay steadfast in our support for self-determination, shine a bright
spotlight on tribal success stories, and cultivate and accelerate
Native leadership into positions of influence inside and beyond Indian
Country.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Lee, for your
testimony.
Mr. Titla, will you please proceed with your testimony?
STATEMENT OF MARY KIM TITLA, COMMUNICATIONS
OFFICER, SAN CARLOS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT; BOARD MEMBER,
NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Ms. Titla. Chairman Akaka and members of the Committee,
thank you for this opportunity to speak with you today. Thank
you for all you do for Indian Country.
My name is Mary Kim Titla. I am a member of the San Carlos
Apache Tribe in Arizona. I was born and raised on the San
Carlos Apache Reservation.
Currently I work as the Communications Officer for the San
Carlos Unified School District. I am also a former TV news
reporter, working for NBC News in Tucson and Phoenix. I am a
freelance writer, I serve as Secretary for the Board of
Trustees for United National Indian Tribal Youth, also known as
UNITY. And I am on the board for the National Indian Education
Association. I am a proud descendant of three Apache chiefs, an
Apache Scout, military veterans, a former Tribal councilwoman
and a master wood carver and schoolteacher.
Now I would like to introduce myself in Apache. Dagot'ee.
[Greeting and introduction in Native language.]
Like many on my reservation, I am not a fluent Apache
speaker. Less than 20 percent of my people speak the language
fluently. The Apache language coordinator in our school
district recently informed me that only one student in our
elementary school of more than 900 students can speak the
language. That is only one student.
Our language is the heart of Native people. Our elders say
without the heart our people will cease to exist. Without the
heart, there is no image, no identity. We need the heart to
keep our songs, our ceremonies and our culture alive. The next
seven generations are counting on us, all of us, lawmakers,
educators, Tribal leaders, activists, parents and especially
our elders, to work together, so that we do not lose the heart
of our people.
My ancestors, including the three chiefs I descended from,
fought hard and sacrificed greatly so that we could be here
today. I am doing my part by taking an Apache language class at
the local community college. I hope to one day say, if I can
learn the language, you can too. Our language teachers are
working very hard to make sure our language never dies. But
there are two few teachers, and the pressure to do NCLB
academics is effectively minimizing the language and the arts.
Our children are eager to learn, and many are like a
sponge, ready to soak in everything that is Native. However,
according to the 2011 National Indian Education Study, almost
half of Native youth in fourth grade, in 12 States, including
my great State of Arizona, know little or nothing of their
Tribe's history. And it gets worse. Nearly two-thirds of Native
eighth graders know little or nothing of their Tribe's history
and heritage.
The same two-thirds are also unaware or know little of the
issues that are important to Indian Country. I don't know about
you, but that is very alarming to me.
Fortunately, in our school district, we are working hard to
change that by teaching Apache history. I know all too well the
lack of positive self-image. As a child, I experienced two
events that are forever etched in my mind. When I first went to
public school in our nearby town, we took a field trip through
the reservation. One of the non-Indian students in my class
pointed to an Indian home and laughed.
During the 1960s, when I first started public school, many
of the Indian homes did not have plumbing or electricity. And
when I was a teenager, my friends and I decided to go to a
dance in another nearby town. At this dance, there were mainly
non-Indians. As we drove around the building before even
setting foot inside the dance, someone outside, a non-Indian,
yelled ``dirty Indians.'` My friends shouted profanities and we
drove away. As I said, these are memories that are etched in my
mind.
Our schools and teachers desperately need your help. We
need more technology infrastructure and we need more Native
teachers. My father was one of a handful of Apache teachers
who, more than 20 years ago, helped pave the way and set an
example for other Apache teachers. Today, there are 15 Apache
teachers working in our school district, and next month,
another 10 will be certified and will graduate and will teach
in our schools. Another six Apaches are in administrative
positions.
San Carlos Apaches are taking ownership of their education
in a big way. This helps to build image and identity for our
young people. They need role models, so they can not only
embrace who they are but also realize their dreams. A future
role model is a Native American woman in Congress.
We also have wonderful organizations like UNITY, United
National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc., helping to mold and inspire
our young Native people. I don't where I would be today if it
wasn't for the UNITY organization. Though this organization has
been around for more than 30 years and has affected thousands
of young people's lives, it may close its doors at the end of
December. This organization focuses on the social, spiritual,
physical and mental well-being of Native youth. Unfortunately,
as I mentioned, this on-profit may have to close its doors at
the end of December.
I bought one Power Ball ticket in Arizona. I haven't
checked it. I am really hoping that I won, so that I can give
some money to UNITY. There was someone who won from Arizona,
you know.
[Laughter.]
Ms. Titla. In order for our children to truly reclaim their
image and identity, Tribes, parents and community members must
have a say in shaping and controlling what their children learn
in school. Earlier this year, our school district received
unprecedented support from the San Carlos Apache Tribal
Council, which provided incentives for students who passed the
AIMS test, Arizona's instrument to measure standards. More
importantly, Tribal leaders are giving their time and talking
personally with students at the schools.
Indian Country needs strong, concerted and sustained
support to pass the Native Class Act, culture, language and
access for success in schools. While not a fix-all, the Native
Class Act does address many of the systemic problems in Native
education, and includes strengthening Tribal control of
education, preserves and revitalizes Native languages and
encourages Tribal-State partnerships.
We must also reaffirm and acknowledge the Department of
Education's Federal trust responsibility for American Indian
and Alaska Native students. The President issued his memorandum
on Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination with
Indian Tribal Governments, in 2009. The Department of Education
has yet to release its consultation policy.
As a result, Tribes are still struggling to be at the
table, both with the Department of Education and States, in
developing meaningful education policy for Native students. We
are rapidly moving through the 21st century. Our children do
not know or comprehend what it means to be American Indian in
this modern age. We must work together, with the support of
lawmakers, if our next seven generations are to reclaim their
heritage and capture the vision of American Indians in the 22nd
century.
I have a vested interest. I am the mother of an 11th grader
and the grandmother of three grandchildren, who are counting on
me to take a stand on Indian education issues. Today I take
this stand for them and for all Native children. Ahiyei. Thank
you and God bless you. When appropriate, I can answer any
questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Titla follows:]
Prepared Statement of Mary Kim Titla, Communication's Officer, San
Carlos Unified School District; Board Member, National Indian Education
Association
Introduction
Chairman Akaka, Vice-Chairman Barrasso, and Members of the
Committee:
Dagot'ee. Thank you all for the work you do on behalf of Native
people and thank you for this opportunity to address you about the
future of our people. My name is Mary Kim Titla. I'm a member of the
San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona. I was born and raised on the San
Carlos Apache reservation. Currently I work as the Communications
Officer for the San Carlos Unified School District. Last year, thanks
to the iLead program at Arizona State University, I had the privilege
of interning as Principal at San Carlos Secondary School where I
learned first-hand the challenges facing educators. I'm also a
freelance writer and former TV News Reporter. I serve as Secretary for
the Board of Trustees for United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. I'm
a board member for the National Indian Education Association and a Co-
Lead Advisor for the San Carlos Apache Youth Council. I'm a proud
descendant of three Apache chiefs, an Apache Scout, military veterans,
a former tribal councilwoman and a Master wood carver and
schoolteacher.
Embracing Identity
How can we, as Native people, reclaim our image and identity for
the next Seven Generations? First, our Native children must fully
embrace who they are. An estimated 93 percent of Native children attend
both urban and rural public schools. The remaining 7 percent attend
Bureau of Indian Education schools. I'd like to share some alarming
statistics.
According to the 2011 National Indian Education Study, which
involved a survey of Native students in 12 states, including my great
state of Arizona, only 44 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native
fourth-graders reported knowing a little or nothing of their tribe or
group's history. A mere 32 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native
eighth graders had some knowledge of their Native history, and 32
percent had some knowledge of their Native traditions and cultures.
That means two-thirds knew little or nothing of their Native history
and heritage.
This lack of knowledge about their identities as members of proud
and powerful cultures, along with the lack of self-pride, is
devastating. It is one reason why just three out of every five of our
American Indian and Alaska Native high schools graduated on time last
year.
I know this all too well. My first negative experience surrounding
image and identity began when I attended public school as a young
child. I attended a school with non-Indian students in a nearby town.
During a field trip that required traveling through my reservation, a
non-Indian student pointed at an Indian home and laughed. Most Indian
homes in the 1960s, including mine, did not have plumbing or
electricity. The statement did not make me feel good about myself. When
I was a teenager, my friends and I decided to attend a dance in another
nearby town. Mostly non-Indians were at the dance. As we drove around
the building, a young man shouted ``Dirty Indians!'' My friends reacted
by shouting profanities. We drove away. Those memories are forever
etched in my mind. How many Native American children today still live
in situations that are embarrassing to them or are victims of racism?
We must continue to work hard to educate the ignorant and put an end to
racism.
World-class culturally based education is one way to help Native
students reclaim their proud image and identity. It is also one of the
most-important solutions to helping our children and communities
succeed in a world in which knowledge is economic, social, and
political power.
Academic Progress
In order for our Native students to reclaim their image and
identity, the Federal Government must do everything possible to ensure
schools serving Native students meet benchmarks for academic progress.
Many of our schools serving Native students in Arizona are labeled
failing schools. The failing label should be applied to a system that
knew the struggles in these communities and did little to intervene in
a meaningful way until President Barack Obama took office. It is the
label that should be applied to the level of helpful educational
research related to American Indians on reservations.
We must work together to ensure our students stay in school and
ensure our graduates are equipped with 21st Century skills. This
includes keeping pace with technological infrastructure to support e-
learning initiatives. The intent of the 2011 National Indian Education
Study was to address issues, specifically those related to identifying
practices and methods that raise the academic achievement of American
Indian/Alaska Native students, and assessing the role of Native
language and culture in fostering that improvement. Recently, an Apache
language coordinator in our school district, after conducting an
assessment, informed me that only one student out of more than 900
students in our elementary school can speak Apache fluently. A 2007
survey of San Carlos Apaches shows less than 20 percent of more than
14,000 tribal members are fluent Apache speakers. Our language is not
to the point of extinction but at this rate, it's just a matter of
time.
Native education is in a state of emergency. Many elders believe
our language is the glue that holds our culture together. Many believe
without our language, we will no longer be Apache. We will no longer be
Indian. Fortunately, we have Apache language teachers who are working
very hard to make sure our language never dies but there are too few
language teachers and the pressure to do No Child Left Behind academics
is effectively minimizing the language and the arts.
Role of Community
Parents of course play a very important role in helping their
children with self-image and identity. My parents are the driving force
behind my desire to prove myself to the world. My parents, Phillip and
Charlotte Titla, raised me to do my best in school and to aim for the
stars. They said education is the key to success and the key to
breaking the cycle of poverty and alcoholism. They stressed ``when you
go to college'' not ``if you go to college.'' Growing up, I was the
exception rather than the norm. All five of the Titla children
graduated from college, with three obtaining Master's degrees but
that's not the best part of the story. The best part of the story is my
parents quit their jobs and graduated with my youngest brother from
Grand Canyon University. My mother went on to become a social worker.
My father and brother became schoolteachers. That was more than 20
years ago when only a handful of Apache teachers worked for our school
district. Today 15 Apache teachers work in our school district and
another 10 Apaches will be certified to teach next month through the
iTeach program at Arizona State University. Six Apaches are part of the
district leadership team. San Carlos Apaches are taking ownership of
their schools in a big way.
In order for our children to truly reclaim their image and
identity, tribes, parents and community members must have a say in
shaping and controlling what their children learn in school. Earlier
this year, our school district received unprecedented support from the
San Carlos Apache Tribal Council who provided incentives for students
who passed the AIMS (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards) test.
More importantly, tribal leaders are giving their time and are talking
personally with students at the schools.
Native CLASS Act
Indian Country needs strong, concerted, and sustained support to
pass the Native CLASS (Culture, Language and Access for Success in
Schools) Act in Congress. While not a fix-all, the Native CLASS Act
does address many of the systemic problems in Native education and
includes strengthening tribal control of education, preserves and
revitalizes Native languages and encourages tribal/state partnerships.
Trust Responsibility
We must also reaffirm and acknowledge the Department of Education's
federal trust responsibility for American Indian and Alaska Native
students. The President issued his memorandum on Executive Order 13175,
Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments, in 2009.
The Department of Education has yet to release its consultation policy.
As a result, tribes are still struggling to be at the table--both with
the Department of Education and States--in developing meaningful
education policy for Native students. The Department must ensure that
tribes are key stakeholders and that it consults with tribes prior to
the development of regulations that will affect how Native students and
schools are funded. We desperately need increased funding for Title VII
Indian Education, and full funding for Title I and Impact Aid.
Institutional Racism
While my testimony today focuses on Indian education, I'd also like
to take this opportunity to stand with employees and visitors at the
Ariel Rios Federal Building, the Society of American Indian Government
Employees (SAIGE) and the National Congress of American Indians, who
have raised objections over six historical murals that are considered
offensive and stereotype Native Americans. The old western images are
located in elevator lobbies on upper floors and are visible to
employees and visitors. While consultation has occurred and a
recommendation made to leave the murals in place with interpretative
panels, I join with those who protest the images, on behalf of Native
children, and ask that they be removed as they create a hostile work
environment. It's important to teach the next seven generations to
stand up for what is right.
Conclusion
We are rapidly moving through the 21st Century. Our children do not
know or comprehend what it means to be American Indian in this modern
age. We must work together with the support of lawmakers if our next
seven generations are to reclaim their heritage and capture the vision
of American Indians in the 22nd Century. I have a vested interest. I'm
the mother of an 11th grader and the grandmother of three grandchildren
who are counting on me to take a stand on Indian education issues.
Today, I take this stand for them and for all Native children. Ahiyei!
Thank you and God bless you!
The Chairman. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Titla.
Ms. Valbuena, thank you for your testimony. My question to
you is, how can Tribal leadership empower young people to excel
while maintaining their identity and culture?
Ms. Valbuena. I think it is important, and I am speaking
for my Tribe, we have to teach our children as babies, when
they are growing up. I know at San Manuel we have our education
department and our tutoring, and we have our language programs,
like some of the other Tribes also do.
So I think at the very beginning, just teaching the kids
their culture and identity, and keeping them in school. Because
I know nowadays, with all the technology, from computers to
everything else that is going on that we didn't have when we
were their age as children, kids may not be active, whether it
is in sports at school or other extracurricular, after school.
So I think we just have to keep on telling our children as they
grow older and keeping their culture and their identity, and
teaching them as just young kids. I know that is what we do at
San Manuel.
The Chairman. Thank you. There will be time for other
questions.
I am going to ask Senator Jon Tester for any questions he
may have.
Senator Tester. Yes, first of all, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to thank the panelists today.
I could go a lot of different directions, but I think we
are going to start with education. Mary Kim, you talked about
the need for more Indian educators. I agree. I think that it
solve a whole bunch of problems, as to a basis for the
beginning of an understanding of where you have been.
The question is, is there, from our level, any
recommendations on what we can do to encourage the kids that
are in school right now, I am talking K-12 kids, to go into
education, to become teachers?
Ms. Titla. Well, you can visit our schools, for one thing.
So I would like to invite all of you today to come to the San
Carlos Apache Reservation to visit our schools, to see all of
the wonderful things that we are doing. I think our school
district is serving as a model for the rest of the Country due
to the number of Native educators who are working in our
schools. As I said, we have 10 teacher interns, Apaches, who
will be graduating next month.
I went through the iLead program last year, through Arizona
State University. We have two others who went through the same
program, to be administrators. As I mentioned, we are taking
ownership of our schools. What we need is more support. We need
more programs like the iLead program, the iTeach program. We
hope that more colleges and universities will create programs
that are similar to that, to allow Native teachers to have the
kind of support that they need to stay in school and eventually
return to their communities.
We have a teacher recently, in fact, my cousin, Leslie Van
Hernandez, who was named one of ten exemplary teachers in
Arizona. She is a member of our Tribe, she doesn't work in our
school district, she works for the Mesa Public Schools. But she
is a fine example of what our teachers can do. They are doing
great things. And many of them aren't winning awards, but they
are doing award-winning work. So we need to recognize our
teachers.
We also need to make funding available so that we can
increase their pay. There are a lot of people who don't go into
this honorable profession because there simply isn't enough
money there. They aren't receiving the type of salary that they
would like. Our teachers deserve to receive increases in their
salaries. So we need more money for education.
We also need money for programs, Indian education programs
like Title VII, Title I, Impact Aid. We need your support. We
are facing budget cuts, as you know. Our school is in dire
straits right now. We have to cut programs. And as a result,
our children suffer.
So we need your support in all of those areas. Thank you.
Senator Tester. Absolutely. Thank you.
You brought up No Child Left Behind and how it has resulted
in a lot of cutting of the arts. Being a music teacher myself
in a former life, I can appreciate that comment. NCLB has had a
lot of things wrong with it.
We are going to reauthorize or authorize The Elementary
Secondary Education Act some time in the next Congress, that
will take the place of a Race to the Top, which took the place
of NCLB, you get the idea. What would you like, from a Native
American perspective, what do you think is important? What do
you think should be in that Act? You can relate it to NCLB if
you like. What do you think is important and should be
addressed that would help Native American kids be successful?
Ms. Titla. Consultation would be good, meaningful
consultation. We need to be at the table. We have decisions
that are being made about our children, about our schools. And
we would like to have a say in that. So the fact that you say
you are going to do it and don't do it doesn't sit well with
us. So it would be nice to have meaningful consultation take
place, and actually sit at the table.
Senator Tester. Okay, that is very good.
And I only have time for one more. Andrew, you talked about
building bridges of understanding. How can we encourage people,
Native Americans in particular, to do what you did to build
bridges with folks who may not be supporters of Native
Americans?
Mr. Lee. There are two things, Senator. The first is that
we need more leadership in Tribal government. So my point about
public service is that we need our best and brightest from
Indian Country to serve their own governments. That is the
first task.
The second task that I mentioned was to put more Indians in
positions of influence outside of Indian Country or beyond
Indian Country. Some may say that that is a zero sum game. I
disagree. I think the real challenge for Tribal leadership and
elected leaders, for that matter, is to increase the pool of
available Native talent. That goes to everything from providing
safe home structures for the youth to making sure that we have
safe reservations and off-reservation communities. It means we
set high bars for education, that we incorporate Tribal civics,
as I had mentioned.
And I think once you start to do those things, you will see
a whole new cadre of young Native professionals who are
increasingly fluent both on the reservations and able to work
outside of that.
One of the hopes and dreams that I have is to see a growing
number of U.S. ambassadors who are Native American. That is
another area where I think this body could make a big
difference. We need to encourage more Native professionals and
our esteemed leaders to take on service like that. That would
make a huge difference, and again, help restore Indian nations
to their position of honor.
Senator Tester. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Tester.
Senator Franken.
Senator Franken. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Like Senator Tester said, there is so much here to talk
about. And I don't know where to start. But I will start with
Mr. Lee. You are half Seneca Indian and half white. Okay.
That's not uncommon. I think part of the education of Americans
is to understand that. This man on Wall Street who you built a
bridge to, he didn't understand that you were part Indian,
obviously, when he made that comment.
How long over the conversation was it until you brought up
the fact that you were half Indian?
Mr. Lee. I would say it was about six months before I even
started to build that bridge. It took a long time.
Senator Franken. So this ignorance is, this is a smart man,
this is a wise man otherwise in other ways, right?
Mr. Lee. He is a highly, or was, a highly-educated and
well-respected individual, yes.
Senator Franken. So we don't have, we have in our Country,
Ms. Titla, you were talking about the very high percentage of
Native children who don't know their Tribal history, the
history of Indians in America. And you kind of wonder. Here we
are, this is Indian Heritage Month. It is funny, I remember
when we finally had Black History Month, I don't know, this
might have been 20, 30 years ago, I would see PSAs all the time
about Black History.
I am wondering if any of you have any thoughts about how
valuable it might be to have public service announcements
during the month of November on television talking about the
history of Native peoples in this Country.
Ms. Titla. It is very important. In our State of Arizona,
with 22 Tribes, we have PSAs about Hispanic month, we have PSAs
about Black Heritage Month. I don't see PSAs about --
Senator Franken. Well, obviously we need education for
Indian kids and for Native Americans. We also need this
education for Americans. This is so interesting, when you talk
about both wanting to have Tribal leaders and nurturing Tribal
leaders. And you talk about in your written testimony some
great success stories that have come from sovereignty. You talk
about Red Lake Reservation where they restored the walleye,
which is the greatest tasting fish in the world, to Red Lake.
That was a success. You talk about other successes, and you
talk about best practices. Buck Jourdain is the chairman there,
he is a friend of mine, and he is a great leader.
And you also talk about creating leaders in, well, you went
to Wall Street. And in all spheres of life. I was in Pine Ridge
a couple of years ago and met a group of kids. There was one
kid who was like 14, 15 years old who was kind of the
ringleader of this group. They had me on, asking them what they
wanted to do. He said, I want to be a drug dealer. He didn't,
he was pulling my leg. Then I started talking to him, and I
noticed that he was really funny. I used to be in that
business, and I recognize talent. This kid was funny.
I must have spent a half an hour trying to convince him
that he could do that, that he could be a comedian, that he
could go to Chicago. I said, go to Chicago, get trained at
Second City, you would be great. There is 85 percent
unemployment on Pine Ridge. This kid could not conceive of the
idea that that pathway was open to him.
Believe me, there are a lot of people who have succeeded in
comedy who are a lot less funny than this kid.
[Laughter.]
Senator Franken. I just know that this is a problem about
the pride of your heritage, where that ties in to having self-
esteem and confidence and knowing that possibilities are open
to you. And that is something that we just have to grapple with
in so many different ways. I thank you for your testimony. I
wanted to be here for all of this and continue this
conversation. Because you talk about sovereignty and how
important that is. And I know it is, I know it is. Then I want
to know what we can do, what we can do from this Committee,
what we can do from this Senate, what we can do from this
Congress. I just wonder if you have any thoughts on that, what
our role is.
Mr. Lee. I do. You touched on something that is vitally
important. It is how non-Native kids are taught. If you go into
virtually any textbook today and read the chapter on American
Indians, it is all in the past, the far, far past. I would
argue that while it is true that Indians have always been
innovators and pioneered on countless innovations, there are so
many present day success stories that we do not do a good
enough job celebrating and highlighting. I think when we start
to do that, we paint a very real picture for today's Native
youth of what is possible, from the Red Lake Band that you
mentioned to White Earth, to some of the work being done by
Tribes in Montana, and all across Indian Country. There are so
many, I mean, I was in this business for many years of
celebrating success stories. I can tell you, every day I loved
getting up in the morning, because I would find another example
of Tribal success.
We don't do a good enough job of highlighting that. And I
am certain that non-Indian kids don't ever get exposed to some
of the great things that are happening here today.
The other comment I would make, Senator, is that this
hearing is a great start, but it can't be the end.
Ms. Titla. Can I add to that? I would like to say that
something that your Committee is doing is with the Facebook
page. I applaud you for that. You highlight role models around
the Country, in Indian Country, Native Hawaiians. And I post
that on my school's Facebook page. As communications officer, I
want them to be exposed to the role models that are out there.
It is getting a lot of visits. I don't know if you know
that, but people are looking at that. Our children are hungry
to see what is out there, they want to know who their role
models are.
But I also wanted to mention a couple of other things. That
is, there is a lot more work that we need to do to educate the
ignorant and erase racism. The two stories that I mentioned
about what happened in my childhood, how many children today
still feel embarrassed about their homes, Native children? How
many are still hearing those racist comments? It is still
happening today. So we have a lot of work to do.
And the last thing I want to add is that we have State
benchmarks that we have to meet. Our Native schools are not
meeting those benchmarks. Many in Arizona are failing schools,
including our school, unfortunately. The failing label needs to
be applied to a system that knew the challenges and the
struggles in these communities but did little to intervene in a
meaningful way. So there is more that we can do there to help
our schools so that they are meeting these benchmarks and are
succeeding. And our kids are taking ownership of that, they
produced a video this year about AIMS, encouraging their peers
to do their best and pass AIMS. We showed that to the
community, to the Tribal council, and it went a long way.
They want to pass these benchmarks. They want to take pride
in their school. They don't want to be labeled as a failing
school. So there is more work to be done there.
Senator Franken. AIMS is the NCLB test?
Ms. Titla. Yes.
Senator Franken. Okay. Well, thank you all. This is a
continuing conversation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Franken.
Let me call on Senator Jon Tester for another question.
Senator Tester. I just have one real quick one. It came at
the end of my last round. Andrew, you talked about getting more
Native Americans involved in Tribal governments, and then
expanding that out into other government areas outside the
Reservation. I think it is a great idea. It makes me think back
to when I was graduating from college, my father said, I want
you to come back and start farming, because if you go out into
the real world and start making some money, you will never get
back.
Knowing that there are members from the Obama
Administration that are watching this on their stations at
home, and knowing, not knowing, but assuming that you probably
make a pretty good chunk of dough where you are, would you be
willing to take a cut in salary and come back and serve in the
public service sector? Because that is probably what it would
take?
Mr. Lee. I have always viewed my career in many ways as
being similar to a triathlon: business, civil society and
public service. Now, my graduate school training was in public
policy, so I have always had a passion actually for all three
of those sectors. And over the years, I have been able to weave
in parts of different sectors at each step of the way.
So right now, you are right, I work for a corporation. But
I give back significantly through board service. And while I
can't predict what my career trajectory will ultimately be, I
am absolutely open to going through the triathlon of serving in
the private sector, in business and in government.
Senator Tester. That is good, I applaud that. Because so
many of the folks that want to come back and become public
employees will take a significant cut in pay. Some of them are
up here today, as a matter of fact, that were successful in the
private sector, making money and decided to come back in. That
is what it takes. And that is what it takes for everybody, not
only Native Americans, but for everybody. I agree, if we can
get more Native Americans out there in positions of importance,
and there are a lot of them in government, I think it helps
everybody.
Thanks you all. Thanks again, Mr. Chairman, for the
flexibility.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Tester.
Ms. Valbuena, in your testimony you state that history
demands that we define ourselves to the non-Native world. And I
was interested, of course you mentioned about the book and the
two worlds. What lessons can you share from your experiences
and your family's experiences in confronting historical as well
as modern stereotypes?
Ms. Valbuena. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think it all has
to do with educating the general public on Tribes, how we are
structured and what we do. As I had mentioned about the
California League of Cities that our organization belongs to,
we are there educating the elected officials. They were asking
why we were there. So the way we explained it to them, and they
had a better understanding was, you are an elected mayor and
you serve your constituents and you have a city council. We
have an elected Tribal chair or chief or president of our
Tribes, and they do as the same, looking out for the best
interests of those who got you elected.
So they kind of had a better understanding. But again, I
know that there are many people out there that I have talked to
from different organizations that are non-Tribal that think,
for example, that Indian casinos can only employ Indian people.
When I tell them at San Manuel we have 98 percent of our almost
4,000 employees are non-Indian people from the local community,
they look at me like, you are kidding, we thought Indian
casinos, you have to be Native American. And I said no, that is
not so.
So there are a lot of things out there, misconceptions,
again, about paying taxes. We are always educating, always
educating. I know we are running out of time here, but just
real quickly I wanted to share another story. When I mentioned
about Schwarzenegger having the ad on TV, ironically during
that time that ad came out, I had two men in our home working
on our TV when that ad came out. And I am in the kitchen
watching dishes and they are in there downgrading the Indians
saying this and that and those Indians and they get away with
not paying taxes. So I had to set them straight and kick them
out of my house.
But they walked out saying, thank you very much, why aren't
the Tribes more vocal? Why don't we see anything in the media
or the paper about this? We didn't know. You educated us.
So there are always ways out there to educate people on
different issues from whether it is the language to the
education to our culture and what we do out there in our Tribal
governments. It is just a big job. I also understand that those
Tribal leaders who are out there, you really, really have to
have a passion for what you do to get it done.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
This question is for the entire panel. It is asking you
whether you have any final recommendations on how we can best
reclaim our image and identity. And also ensure that our
vibrant cultures will continue on into future generations. May
I say now, we have a few minutes to go until another vote call.
So we will conclude this panel with this question. Feel free to
discuss it. We will go right, starting with Ms. Valbuena. Any
final recommendations on how we can best reclaim our image and
identity?
Ms. Valbuena. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As was said earlier
by two of my other colleagues here, we are glad we are holding
this hearing. We of course do not want this to be the last. I
think initially we need to talk about setting up a meeting and
kind of understanding where we are going with all this as far
as recommendations and talk about what Congress can do or what
the Indian Affairs Committee can do, and then get some
recommendations down and suggestions and then go from there.
But have that dialogue of communication and hold some more
meetings.
The Chairman. Thank you. Mr. Lee?
Mr. Lee. Mr. Chairman, I am not going to give you a
specific recommendation. But my recommendation is very
specific. That is that we cannot retrench at all from the
policy of self-determination and self-governance. It is only
when Tribes have the ability to define their own futures and
run their own affairs that we see success. Any student of
history will tell you that the waxing and waning of Federal
policy over the years has been tremendously harmful to Indian
Country. For the past nearly 40 years, we have been on this
path of self-determination, and it is the only policy approach
that has resulted in any meaningful improvement in the material
wealth and health and future promise of Indian Country.
So if there is one thing that I would impress it is that we
need to stay the course on self-determination and self-
governance.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Lee. Ms. Titla?
Ms. Titla. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to add to that
last statement, in order to develop a world-class culturally-
based education, we need to make sure that all key stakeholders
are at the table, that there is meaningful consultation and
that Indian education programs are highly considered in terms
of funding and support.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
I really appreciate this panel and your recommendations.
This is so important, that we continue to try to move this and
work on it with your recommendations as well. We are going to
hear from another panel on future generations, too.
So again, I thank you. This is just the first step in
moving out. But we need to make the rest of the Nation and even
the world aware of our cultures and also to be in a sense an
example for other people. And so the examples comes from
knowing our culture and heritage and practicing it and
celebrating it.
Thank you so much for what you have shared with us. It will
really be helpful.
At this time I would like to call a recess. I will have to
go and vote, and I will be right back. Thank you very much.
We stand in recess.
[Recess.]
The Chairman. The hearing will come to order.
I would like to invite the second panel to the witness
table. Serving on our second panel is Mr. Sam McCracken,
General Manager, Nike N7 Program and Chairman of the N7 Fund;
Ms. Tonantzin Carmelo, Screen Actors Guild Award Nominated
Actor; and Ms. Marjorie Tahbone, Miss Indian World 2011-12.
I want to welcome you to this hearing and thank you so much
for being a part of this, as we take another step in making the
rest of the Country aware of our indigenous peoples, as well as
to try to structure something to get our people together in our
future generations. At this time I would like to call on Mr.
McCracken to please proceed with your testimony.
STATEMENT OF SAM McCRACKEN, GENERAL MANAGER, NIKE N7; CHAIRMAN,
N7 FUND
Mr. McCracken. Good afternoon, Chairman Akaka, Ranking
Member Barrasso and distinguished members of the Committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as we
celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
[Greeting in Native tongue.] My given name is Sam
McCracken. I am an enrolled member of the Assiniboine Sioux
Tribe on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.
At Nike, I am the General Manager of Nike N7. I also serve
as the founder and chairman of the N7 Fund. N7 is inspired by
Native wisdom of seven generations. It reads in every
deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on
the seventh generation.
Nike N7 is committed to programming and products that will
empower Native American communities through the power of sport.
In 2007, Nike unveiled the Air Native, a performance athletic
shoe designed specifically for American Indians. The shoe was
designed with the distinct foot shape for American Indians. It
is only available today through Tribal health promotion disease
prevention programs. Proceeds from the sale of the shoe, as
well as our N7 collection, fund access to sport programs for
Native youth.
As members of this Committee know, the challenges our youth
are facing today are daunting: high suicide rates, high obesity
and type 2 diabetes rates and low graduation rates. At N7, we
believe that sport is an antidote for change. What if sport
could reduce the rates of diabetes? What if sport could reduce
the rates of suicide with our youth? And what if sport could
convince a kid to stay in school?
There is ample evidence of the power of physical activity
to enhance the physical, mental and spiritual health and
academic performance. That is why N7 funds community programs
designated to get our youth to achieve and move.
I would like to take a moment to highlight a few of our
grantees within our programs. The NB3 Foundation was founded by
Notah Begay III, the only full-blooded Native American to play
on the PGA Tour. In New Mexico, NB3 uses sport for social
change to fight the epidemic of type 2 diabetes. They have an
innovative soccer program that is getting great and amazing
results.
In South Dakota, N7 Fund works closely with the Boys and
Girls Clubs and serves on several reservations, promoting
healthy lifestyles. In Minnesota, we partner with the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe Recreation Division to assure youth have
access to sport.
These are just a few of our community partners. Since 2009,
the N7 Fund has awarded more than $2 million in grants. Today
we have served 125,000 youth. Our goal is that the N7 Fund will
serve 2 million Native youth by 2016.
But programs are only effective if our youth choose to
participate. We are fortunate to have several Native athletes
who join us in this work to inspire and motivate our youth. N7
Ambassadors lead by example: Jacoby Ellsbury, center fielder of
the Boston Red Sox, an enrolled member of the Colorado River
Indian community; Tahnee Robinson, professional basketball
player, playing in Bulgaria presently, grew up on the Wind
River Reservation in Wyoming; Sam Bradford, Heisman Trophy
winner, quarterback for the St. Louis Rams, a citizen of the
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma; Chris Wondolowski, MLS soccer
standout, and currently, as we sit here today, is being named
the most valuable player of the major league soccer league, and
is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Nation in Oklahoma.
These athletes devoted their time and attention to the
vision of advocating for greater access to sport for our Native
youth. They know that sport can transform a person, and they
believe that sport can transform a people.
We all have a role to play in improving our future. At
Nike, we have three MOUs with Federal agencies, the Indian
Health Services, the Bureau of Indian Education and the
Corporation for National and Community Service. Our goal is to
work together to educate our Native communities about living
heathy lifestyles.
Federal and Tribal governments also play a key role. I urge
the Committee to continue to support the Special Diabetes
Program for American Indians. This program provides critical
funding for diabetes treatment and prevention across Indian
Country. I also want to encourage Tribal leaders to participate
as well.
In conclusion, I would like to invite each of you on the
Committee to join us to come see first-hand what our community
groups are doing to serve your constituents. Come watch a kid
kick a ball, play, run, with children who benefit from the N7
program. You will walk away inspired. Together, we can secure a
future for Native American youth that has them running,
jumping, kicking and reaching to fulfill their full human
potential.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. McCracken follows:]
Prepared Statement of Sam McCracken, General Manager, NIKE N7;
Chairman, N7 Fund
Good afternoon. Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Barrasso, and
distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity
to appear before you today in celebration of Native American Heritage
Month. It's an honor to share with you the work of NIKE N7, and join
with you in efforts to improve the lives of our Native American youth.
My name is Sam McCracken and I am a member of the Fort Peck Tribe.
At NIKE, I am the General Manager for NIKE N7, and serve as Chairman of
the N7 Fund. In this role, I have had the opportunity to work closely
with government officials and community elders to endow programs that
serve our community.
N7 is inspired by the Native American wisdom of the seven
generations: In every deliberation we must consider the impact of our
decisions on the seventh generation. The ultimate goal of the N7 Fund
is to consider this footprint and to help Native American youth
recognize their proud history and build on it for a triumphant future.
What is N7 and the N7 Fund?
NIKE N7 is a community program and product collection within NIKE
that empowers Native American and Aboriginal communities through the
power of sport and physical activity. The mission of the N7 Fund is to
unleash the power of sport and all its benefits in these communities.
The N7 Fund consists of contributions from donors and sales profits
from the innovative Air Native N7 shoe and N7 Collection. The Air
Native was unveiled in 2007, a new performance athletic shoe designed
specifically for American Indians. The shoe was the product of more
than two years of scientific analysis and work and not only has a
larger fit for the distinct foot shape of American Indians, but also
the culturally specific look for our community. One hundred percent of
the N7 funds are provided in grants to non-profit community groups
working to promote physical activity for youth. NIKE bears all
administrative costs for the N7 Fund.
Challenges Facing Native American Youth
The issues facing Native American youth are daunting. As Members of
this Committee know, Native American and Aboriginal children face
challenges to their success and wellbeing that call for immediate
action. They experience the highest rate of poverty of any racial or
ethnic group in North America, and by nearly all measurable standards--
dropout rates, college attendance and completion rates, test scores,
even literacy rates--Native American and Aboriginal children are well
behind their peers. Suicide rates for Native American youth are 127
percent higher than the national average.
Native communities also suffer disproportionately from the negative
effects of diabetes and obesity. Diabetes inflicts Native Americans at
a rate of 2.2 times higher the national average. One antidote for
change is sport. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing
diabetes, colon cancer and high blood pressure. An active lifestyle
helps people develop and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints,
especially if begun at an early age. Fitness also promotes
psychological well-being, reducing feelings of depression and anxiety.
And, the research now shows, regular physical activity can improve
academic performance.
That is why N7 funds community programs designed to get youth
active and moving. I'd like to take a moment to highlight a few of our
grant recipients:
NB3 Foundation: In 2005, 4-time PGA TOUR winner Notah Begay
III, the only full-blooded Native American on the PGA TOUR,
founded the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation. Notah, throughout
his career, has been a passionate and committed advocate for
the health and well-being of Native American youth and their
communities. He formed the NB3 Foundation to use sports and
wellness as a means for social change and to fight the epidemic
of type 2 diabetes.
Based at the Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico, the NB3 Foundation
operates soccer, golf, health and youth leadership programs at
San Felipe Pueblo, in the greater Albuquerque area and other
tribal communities in New Mexico. NB3 now serves tribal
communities across the country and is a trusted partner of N7.
In Hawaii, the N7 Fund supports the Makawalu Foundation in
Honolulu and Kanalu in Kane'ohe. Both groups operate youth
programs that focus on the history and culture of the Native
communities.
In South Dakota, the N7 Fund works closely with the Boys and
Girls Clubs of the Three Districts and of Rosebud to support
programs supporting a healthy lifestyle.
In Minnesota, we partner with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Recreation Division to ensure youth programs are available and
accessible to kids.
These are just a few of our community partners. Since 2009, the N7
Fund has awarded more than $2 million in grants. Today, the N7 Fund
supports programs serving 125,000 kids. Our goal is to grow the N7 Fund
to serve 2 million kids by 2016.
Programs are only effective if our youth choose to participate. We
are very fortunate to have a number of leading Native American athletes
join us in the work to inspire and motivate our youth. Our N7
Ambassadors lead by example.
Jacoby Ellsbury is a proud member of the Colorado River
Indian Tribe and the first Native American of Navajo descent to
play Major League Baseball.
Tahnee Robinson led her Lander Valley High School basketball
team to a Wyoming state championship and went on to star at the
University of Nevada. She is only the second American Indian
woman to play professional basketball. Tahnee is a member of
the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana.
Sam Bradford became the first Native American Player to win
a Heisman Trophy. Today, Sam leads the St. Louis Rams, and has
worked with N7 and Let's Move in Indian Country to advocate for
health achievement for Native youth. Sam is a citizen of the
Cherokee Indian nation.
Chris Wondolowski, a member of the Kiowa tribe, is a leading
scorer in the MLS, playing for the San Jose Earthquakes. Chris
was in Washington yesterday and had the chance to share his
story directly with many of you.
These athletes devote time and attention to N7 to advocate for
greater access to sport for Native American children. They know that
sport can transform a person, and believe also that sport can transform
a people.
Importance of Public-Private Partnerships
At NIKE, we believe in public-private partnerships. We currently
have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau of Indian Education
at the U.S. Department of the Interior, and with the Indian Health
Service. Both are designed to encourage cooperation and collaboration
between NIKE and the agencies to work together to educate American
Indian and Alaska Native individuals and communities about healthy
lifestyles. N7 also has a Memorandum of Understanding with the
Corporation for National and Community Service. N7 recently funded 5
VISTA volunteers to serve in Native American community organizations.
We are very excited to continue this unique partnership.
Beyond N7, NIKE also is working in communities across the country,
seeking partners in the public and private sectors to join us in the
fight against the physical inactivity epidemic in America and around
the globe not just focused on the Native American community. The
centerpiece of this effort is a recently released blueprint and call to
action. I encourage you to visit Designedtomove.org for more details.
Federal and tribal governments can and must engage aggressively to
tackle the problem. I would urge the Committee's continued support for
one vital program in particular that is improving the lives of Native
American Youth--the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI). This
program provides vital funding for diabetes treatment and prevention to
404 Indian Health Service tribal and urban Indian health programs
across the United States. I hope the Reauthorization and full funding
for this program will be high on the agenda of the Committee in the
113th Congress.
In conclusion, I also urge each of you to join us. Come see first-
hand the work your community groups are doing to serve your
constituents. Come play catch, kick a ball or go for a run with a child
who benefits from an N7 partnership grant. You will not walk away
unaffected or uninspired.
NIKE's CEO, Mark Parker often says that we at NIKE are in the
business of helping people achieve their fullest potential, with sport
being our vehicle to do so.
Together we can secure a future for Native American and Aboriginal
youth that has future generations running, jumping and kicking to reach
their full potential.
Thank you for your time and attention.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. McCracken, for your
testimony.
Ms. Carmelo. will you please proceed with your testimony?
STATEMENT OF TONANTZIN CARMELO, SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD (SAG)
NOMINATED ACTOR
Ms. Carmelo. Meeyeha, Awishconeha. Greetings to Chairman
Akaka and the esteemed Committee.
It is an honor to be asked on the basis of my work to
contribute insight and inspiration on reclaiming our identity
as Indian people for the next seven generations. I am a
descendant of the Mission Indians of Southern California on my
mother's side.
When reflecting on the theme of this hearing, I had to look
back on my own family to appreciate what it is that brought me
here to this moment. Seven generations ago, many fo my
ancestors were experiencing the ongoing extreme hardships of
first contact. On one side of my family tree, my grandfather,
Juyunat, was presenting his son for baptism to the Spanish
friars at the San Gabriel Mission. On another branch of that
same tree, down at the San Diego Mission, another grandfather's
name was changed from Ulliu to Clemente. His son Francisco
acquired the surname of Carmelo, most likely from the renaming
of a mountain near his original village. I am honored to still
carry that name.
From that generation to mine, there has been numerous
challenges to our Indian identity and perseverance to reclaim
and retain it. After the Spanish followed the Mexican period,
which began the parceling and sale of longstanding Tribal lands
and villages. There were revolts, there was resistance.
Then came statehood. In particular, this body's decision to
place an injunction of secrecy upon the 18 treaties negotiated
between the United States and the various Indian Nations whose
ancestral lands later became the State of California. These
treaties were never ratified, affecting the identification of
many of the Tribes in California who are today no longer
federally-recognized, among them one of my Tribes, the
Gabreilino, or Tongva.
The government did identify Indians on the California State
Census of 1852, and the BIA attempted to remediate with the
California Indian judgment rolls of 1928, 1952 and 1972. My
direct ancestors appear on all of these documents. Rancherias
and reservations were established, and educational
institutions, such as the Sherman Indian School. Two
generations of my family resided on the Soboba Reservation, and
at least three generations of my family were educated at
Sherman.
Four generations go, my great-grandfather left the
reservation in search of opportunity, moving back to the heart
of ancestral lands, the Los Angeles Basin. My family became
urban Indians. Today, Los Angeles hosts one of the largest
populations of urban Indians in the United States, identity and
culture persisting. My mother, being one of them, is an avid
cultural activist and leader, tirelessly working to preserve
Indian songs and dances, and reviving our language. She also is
an active member of the pan urban Indian community.
In my own work as an actor, I have had the good fortune to
play notable roles in historical pieces. My portrayal of these
roles has been inspired by my own grandmothers and from a
sincere understanding of my culture and a respect for that of
other Tribes. Most importantly, there is a true connection to
the beautiful strength of the Indian woman.
I also have had the good fortune of performing modern roles
that include a Lakota prosecutor, a Navajo botanist and an
Apache physician and several non-Native and ethnically
ambiguous roles, of which I am equally proud. Obviously, great
strides have been made to allow a person of my color and
background to have a far greater amount of creative control,
input and opportunity in this industry.
However, what is most important to realize is that artistic
expression in film and television is a collaborative process.
It takes talented people and diverse approaches that can help
make a more compelling product. What matters most is that those
involved sincerely relate, understand and honestly portray the
story at hand.
As an artist, I seek opportunities to express myself
outside of my race and my American/Native American/Mestiza and
Latina cultures. In other words, to do what actors do, to tell
stories and entertain. It is important that we strive for this
and equally important that we be embraced for our talents,
craftsmanship and ability to contribute.
This is our current challenge: to transcend the stigma of
our color and our history by continuing to develop talent as
playwrights, screenwriters, directors and actors into the
larger art form of film and television, a very powerful medium.
As Native artists, our current plea is to simply have the same
opportunity to harmonize our truths, our ideas, our stories and
our talents into the song that is modern American society, all
the while being able to maintain those qualities about us that
make us who we are, the first Americans.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Carmelo follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tonantzin Carmelo, Screen Actors Guild Award
(SAG) Nominated Actor
Intro/History
Meeyeha, Awishconeha, Greetings to Chairman Akaka and the esteemed
members of this committee. It is an honor to be asked on the basis of
my work to contribute insight and inspirations on reclaiming our
Identity as Indian people for the next seven generations.
I'm a descendent of the Mission Indians of Southern California on
my mother's side. When reflecting on the theme of this hearing I had to
look back on my own family to appreciate what it is that brought me
here to this moment. Seven generations ago, many of my ancestors were
experiencing the ongoing extreme hardships of first contact. On one
side of my family tree, my grandfather Juyunat was presenting his son
for baptism to the Spanish friars at the San Gabriel Mission. On
another branch of that same tree, down at the San Diego Mission,
another grandfather's name was changed from Ulliu to Clemente. His son
Francisco acquired the surname of Carmelo, most likely from the
renaming of a mountain near his original village. I'm honored to still
carry that name.
From that generation to mine there have been numerous challenges to
our Indian identity, and perseverance to reclaim and retain it. After
the Spanish, followed the Mexican period, which began the parceling and
sale of long standing tribal lands and villages. There were revolts,
there was resistance.
Then came statehood. In particular, this body's decision to place
an injunction of secrecy upon the 18 treaties negotiated between the
United States and the various Indian Nations whose ancestral lands
became the state of California. These treaties were never ratified,
affecting the identification of many of the tribes in California who
are today no longer federally recognized, among them one of my tribes--
the Gabreilino or Tongva.
The Government did identify Indians on the California State Census
of 1852, and the BIA attempted to remediate with the California Indian
judgment rolls of 1928, 1952, and 1972. My direct ancestors appear on
all of these documents. Rancherias and Reservations were established,
and educational institutions, such as Sherman Indian School. Two
generations of my family resided on the Soboba Reservation, and at
least three generations of my family were educated at Sherman.
Four generations ago, my Great Grandfather left the reservation in
search of opportunity, moving back to the heart of ancestral lands, the
Los Angeles Basin. My family became ``urban Indians''. Los Angeles now
hosts one of the largest populations of Urban Indians in the United
States . . . identity and culture persisting.
My Grandfather and Grandmother spent weekends with family on the
reservation and his generation was part of the Mission Indian
Federation, a political and social group organized to address the
issues affecting similarly situated Indian people. Today, my mother is
an avid cultural activist and leader, tirelessly working to preserve
Indian songs and dances, and reviving our language. She is also an
active member of the pan urban Indian community, both north and south
of the border.
The most vexing issue affecting our tribe is repatriation. If ever
there was an indignity that screams for redress it is this one. Our
ancestral lands are today a sprawling urban area where scores of un-
repatriated bodies of our ancestors lie in museums, archeological
archives, university storage rooms, and private collections. This is
not an issue affecting only recent generations. My own Great-
Grandmother faced these issues more than eighty years ago. (I am
attaching to this testimony both a newspaper article from the time and
a letter written by her in response to an inquiry created by the story
for review by the Committee.) Unfortunately, however, repatriation of
the remains of our ancestors requires petition by a federally
recognized tribe. This hits at the very core of our identity. The name
Tongva literally means People of the Earth, a name that encapsulates
the core beliefs of our people. These ancestors must be honored, by
acknowledging their humanity and returning them to the earth.
My Work and My Attempt to Portray Positive Images
In my work own as an actor, I have had the good fortune to play
notable roles in historical pieces. My portrayal of these roles has
been inspired by own Grandmothers and from a sincere understanding of
my culture, and a respect for that of other tribes. Most important,
there is a true connection to the beautiful strength of the Indian
women.
I am indebted to the kindred spirits who have provided me with
opportunities to hone my craft and develop as an artist. People such as
Randy Reinholz and Jeanne Bruce Scott with Native Voices at the Autry,
the country's only Equity theatre company dedicated exclusively to
producing new works by Native American, Alaska Native, and First
Nations playwrights. Similarly, the opportunity to work with Chris Eyre
in the only movie to date featuring a modern, professional Indian
female lead character has been rewarding as well.
In addition to playing a Lakota prosecutor, I've also played other
modern, professional Native roles including a Navaho botanist and, more
recently, an Apache physician, as well as several non-native and
ethnically ambiguous roles, of which I am equally proud. Obviously,
great strides have been made to allow a person of my color and
background to have a far greater amount of creative control, input and
opportunity in this industry.
However, what is most important to realize is that artistic
expression in film and television is a collaborative process. It takes
talented people and diverse approaches can help make a more compelling
product. What matters most is that those involved sincerely relate,
understand, and honestly portray the story at hand.
As an artist, I seek opportunities to express myself outside of my
race and my American/Native American/Mestiza and Latina cultures. In
other words, to do what actors do--to tell stories and entertain. Just
like any other artist, I should not be limited to playing Native roles.
It is important that we strive for this, and equally important that we
be embraced for our talents, craftsmanship and ability to contribute.
This is our current challenge: To transcend the stigma of our color
and our history by continuing to develop talent as playwrights,
screenwriters, directors, and actors into the larger art form of film
and television. As Native artists, our current plea is to simply have
the same opportunity to harmonize our truths, our ideas, our stories
and our talents into the song that is modern American society--all the
while being able to maintain those qualities about us that make us what
we are, the first Americans.
Attachments
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Carmelo.
And now we will hear from Ms. Tahbone. Please proceed with
your testimony.
STATEMENT OF MARJORIE LINNE TUNGWENUK TAHBONE, FORMER MISS
INDIAN WORLD 2011-2012
Ms. Tahbone. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to
recognize all of the people from my home town of Nome, I am
from Alaska. I would also like to recognize the Kuwarek, Inc.,
who funded my trip here.
Good afternoon, Chairman Akaka and all the Senators that
could not make it here. I am here to talk to you today about
the issues that we face today as a youth. I am the youth that
you all talk about and speak of for this generation and the
next generation, and the future generations that will come
after me.
Let's talk about the issues that are surrounding my
community and my current surroundings. I hear all too often of
the statistics, the negative statistics about poverty, drug
abuse, teen pregnancy, high school dropout rates. But first I
would like to mention that these statistics are said too often,
way too often. Let's share some positive statistics, maybe of
the ever-growing statistics of Native American and Inuit people
graduating from college, more and more high school students are
staying in school, more and more are learning about their
traditional culture and want to learn about their language.
But I understand that we have a certain amount of time
here, so I want to say, let's get straight to the point. I grew
up in a very fast-paced community, very fast, let's go, let's
go. I have an iPhone that can do anything in about five
minutes. So let's get right down to business.
What we see here is children struggling to know their
identity. We see them trying to reclaim it. There are so many
barriers in their way that we may not understand, such as
technology, that barrier that some people may not be
technology-savvy, some elders that I may know, they say, I
don't understand your technology. But it is a barrier to us
because we don't utilize it the way we should, the way we
should take advantage of this technology.
There are other barriers that I see that portray negative
stereotypes of Native Americans and Inuit on TV, movies and
books, history books. I see that our school system is still
teaching kid about things that are not relevant to their well-
being. I grew up in a community where we did not have trees,
skyscrapers or sidewalks, even street lights. And yet we were
learning about them in school and we had to recognize them in
our standardized testing.
Now, I am not just talking to the Senators of the Committee
but also the people that sit behind me and the people that are
listening on webcast. It is us that can do these things
together, build allies, build a strong foundation for our
children and the next generation. We need to teach our children
how to be responsible, respectful and have strong identities.
It is interesting to think about that we need to say this
now when our ancestors had already taught their children these
cultural values of respect, responsibility, cooperation,
understanding. We have lost that some how along the way. Now we
need to regain it.
I understand that in some of the communities where I come
from some barriers that I may challenge is there is less law
restricting the sale of alcohol. To me, I understand that there
is a lot of alcoholism and things going on. But I see that as a
barrier. How can we expect our children to be responsible
drinkers when they are sheltered from it, when we babysit them
and say, no, no, no, you can't even see it, can't even touch
it. The solution to alcoholism is not to restrict it from us
but it is to teach us the respect and responsibility that comes
with taking that drink.
In my Inupiaq culture, values, it is important to teach
responsibility and to have respect for one's self. So why are
we not teaching these strong cultural values in school every
day? Some of my classmates, it is the truth, when I ask them,
what does drinking mean to you, what does alcohol mean to you?
And they said to me that alcohol means to get drunk. And I was
appalled.
When I was in New Zealand as Miss Indian World, I traveled
there, and I was amazed, just amazed to see how they teach
their children the responsibilities of drinking alcohol, that
it was not a means to get drunk, but rather a mean to enjoy a
simple meal, a glass of wine to enhance flavors. This is
something that we need to teach our children, that
responsibility.
I am sure my mom was really shaking her head when that
Senator said that we need to start putting out some PSAs. She
said, yes, I could just see her saying, yes, yes, we need to
campaign, we need to really campaign, because it is not only
that the people of America do not know about our cultures,
Native American cultures, even Inuit cultures up in the north
and Alaska, but it is also the Native American children that
don't know as well. There is a lot of these negative
stereotypes that we have already talked about so many times
that is portrayed in the movies that we need to change.
Another issue is the diabetes that we have up in Nome. And
all of these issues are related to issues that I am familiar
with, that I grew up around in Alaska. And in the rural
communities of Alaska, where you cannot drive in or out of the
villages, and we only have one store that only has pop and
chips, it is hard to live a heathy lifestyle. But one way we
could do that, one way the people behind me, the people on the
webcast can do to change that is learn your traditional values
of subsistence, culture and hunting. Teach our children to eat
healthy caribou, fish, berries and seal instead of chips, candy
and pop. I often hear that our traditional diet is one of the
healthiest diets.
And in Alaska, we have so much opportunity, we just need
the guidance from our leadership. We need the guidance from
you. I know that if our leadership will show respect for our
people that our people will show respect for themselves and
that other people will show respect for each other. We must
adapt in this ever-changing world and society. We have so many
cultures that are represented here today.
And we need to adapt so that we are represented properly.
That is what our ancestors did, they adapted. The modern
education needs to adapt to its curriculum to benefit the
children who receive them. The mainstream media needs to adapt
its portrayal of indigenous people to a more accurate and
positive one. And our leadership needs to adapt to create a
positive environment so that we can work together on these
important issues.
And we need to adapt together so that our children can look
upon us as role models and positive figures in our lives. I
would just like to say thank you for your time and I welcome
the opportunity for any questions. Quyanaqpak.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Tahbone follows:]
Prepared Statement of Marjorie Linne Tungwenuk Tahbone, Former Miss
Indian World 2011-2012
Introduction
Good Afternoon. Chairman Akaka, Vice Chairman Barrasso and
distinguished members of the Committee. I am honored to speak on behalf
of my family, community, and people before you today. My name is
Marjorie Linne Tungwenuk Tahbone from Nome, Alaska; my Inupiaq name is
Kunaq. I was raised just outside of Nome at our family camp and was
taught a subsistence lifestyle by my parents Sandy and Carleton
Tahbone. My lineage is both Inupiaq Eskimo and Kiowa Indian. Last year
I was given the honor of representing all the Indigenous Nations of
North America as Miss Indian World 2011-2012. I am currently attending
the University of Alaska Fairbanks and am graduating this December with
a bachelor's degree in Alaska Native Studies and Inupiaq language.
Reclaiming my Identity
Growing up in a rural isolated community I had no connection to the
outside world, but that is how I liked it. All that seemed relevant was
how to live in my environment; where tundra grew, the ocean roared, and
the wildlife roamed. I had no troubles growing up, only the troubles of
a young child learning from their mistakes. And this is how I lived;
when I was old enough for school my family would leave camp so that I
could attend during the winter. I loved going to school, I could never
wait until it started once again. I remember the day before school I
would stay up all night because I was so excited that I could not
sleep.
One day while I was in school there was an assembly and all the
children were brought to the gym, as I walked in the gym I was shocked
and amazed to see a real Indian all dressed up. Upon closer examination
I realized that this real Indian was my dad, I had never seen him in
these clothes before. I was in 2nd grade and it was the first time we
had Indigenous Cultures day. It was this day that I realized I was
Indian. Before I always knew I was Inupiaq, and Nome is a diverse
community so people saying I was Indian just did not happen.
When I was 12 years old, along with my younger sister were sent
down to Oklahoma for the summer where my Kiowa side of the family
lived. It was my first time leaving Alaska and meeting any family from
down south. My loving grandparents dressed me in Kiowa regalia and
taught my sister and I how to dance and sing, even how to say a few
phrases in Kiowa. And they told us that we were Kiowa and to be proud
of it and we were. When school started the following fall I was the
``expert'' on Indians because where I was from there are no Indians.
But I knew nothing of my tribe, I did not know the creation story, the
meaning of songs, or anything relating to Kiowa traditions, I was not
raised Kiowa, I was raised as an Inupiaq.
My identity was split between Inupiaq and Kiowa, both cultures on
extremely different parts of the globe. Who was I suppose to be? Could
I be both? I had Inupiaq mentors but no Kiowa mentors, so to compensate
I started to rely on media and books to teach me how to be an Indian. I
had seen Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, Bugs Bunny with Indians, and I
took those as accurate portrayals of Indian people. I had unknowingly
created a false identity of myself.
On top of my confusion in school I was taught about trees, street
lights, and skyscrapers, and yet we had none of those in Nome. We were
taught to memorize all of the United State Presidents but not of our
ancestral leaders and prophets. I started to wonder how knowing of
trees, street lights, and skyscrapers was going to help me survive in
the cold Alaskan Arctic. Why was I not taught about the dangers of sea
ice? Or how to read weather patterns in my area? Or learn about my
cultural history? I was learning things that were simply not relevant
to me or the Inupiaq children at my school. At a young age our
identities were taken away in exchange for a western foreign one.
Of course we did not have it as bad as the generation that came
before us where they were sent to boarding schools and were punished
for speaking their language. Now we face a completely different issue
with false identity and negative stereotypes. We as youth are torn
between our traditional culture and modern culture. We learn at school
what we need to know to pass standardized test even though the
questions do not relate to our well-being. We struggle to find our
identities alone because our parents were punished for knowing their
culture and language and do not want the same punishment for their
children. But that does not deter us youth into finding a way to make
it all work. We adapt to the ever changing ways of modern society and
incorporate our traditional values and lifestyle into it.
All throughout high school I had a false identity of who I was. It
was not until college when I really started to ask the question of who
I really was. I knew in my heart I was full Inupiaq, but on paper I was
only \1/4\ Inupiaq and \1/2\ Kiowa. The paper said I was more Kiowa
than Inupiaq but that was not what I knew in my heart. I looked Indian
but I ate, dressed, spoke like an Inupiaq. Modern society says I am
acculturated and need to focus on living in this new time, the elders
say I am Inupiaq and Kiowa, so who was I suppose to be? But I found my
identity, I reclaimed it, it was mine. I recognize and acknowledge my
Kiowa side and have great respect for the tribe, but I say I am Inupiaq
because that is who I identify myself as. It took me all too long to
come to this realization and I am sure there are children and teenagers
even adults who are going through the same thing. But we have the power
to change that, with one word, adaptability. The modern education needs
to adapt its curriculum to benefit the children who receive them. The
mainstream media needs to adapt its portrayal of Indigenous people to a
more accurate and positive one. And our leadership needs to adapt to
create a positive environment so that we can work together on these
important issues.
Conclusion
I am the youth that you all speak of, and I know you are working
hard for us and the next seven generations. But the youth is resilient,
we learn and make mistakes by trying to understand how we can bridge
the gap between traditional and modern culture, we just need to be
guided down the right path by our leaders and community. Once again I
thank you for allowing me to speak. Quyanaqpak.
The Chairman. Thank you very much for your testimony.
Mr. McCracken, we are delighted to have you here, with your
background and your working with many great athletes. You have
done an amazing job of partnering up with some of those great
world athletes.
My question to you is, how has N7 changed or benefitted the
corporate culture at Nike?
Mr. McCracken. Thank you for the question. I think we have
helped change the corporate culture, because they have learned
a little bit about the seven generation philosophy. I can only
portray the definition of how my family defined it for me. And
I share that with our corporate leadership in saying that when
my grandfather explained to me, when I was going to leave the
reservation, that I was going to work in the white man's world,
and I needed to understand where I came from.
And he explained to me the seven generations as something
that will be a core value of who I am. He explained it to me in
a way that, I look back three generations for guidance,
direction and focus. I look forward three generations to
hopefully make a difference or create an impact or create
change for those people who come after me. Because as the
Creator looks down on me in the middle, they are going to
identify me and who I am and what I do and what I stand for,
for my family.
And I explain that to the corporate leaders, and we do
that, from a Nike perspective, they look back to former
athletes and former people who have inspired this company to
grow to where it is today and look forward to provide
inspiration and innovation to athletes who come after them.
So I think N7 has had a tremendous impact on the
understanding of the values of seven generations.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Ms. Carmelo, in your testimony you mentioned that your
people were a subject of treaties and attended Indian schools
but currently lack the authority to protect your ancestors. My
question is, how does this lack of Federal recognition impact
the ability to maintain your people's culture and identity?
Ms. Carmelo. Most immediately, it impacts us in many, many
ways, our identity. But the most immediate thing that is
impacting, the Los Angeles Basin has many Tribal burial grounds
that are continuously being unearthed, all the time. Three
times a year we find more and more burials. And Tongva means
people of the earth. That is our belief, that we are people of
the earth, we have to go back to the earth when we are done in
this life.
So these burial grounds get unearthed, and there is nobody
to be able to receive these remains. We can get some of the
outside federally-recognized Tribes to do that, and they have
done that. But it is not the same. We need to have our
ancestors and repatriate our ancestors back to the ground. That
is one of the most immediate issues to me, is one of the deep
hurts of not having Federal recognition. There are many others.
But that is one of them.
As far as our identity, it is a very strange thing to be on
my ancestral lands and not be federally-recognized. Because
there is a big urban Indian community there, there are many
federally-recognized Tribes that are in the area. We organize,
and it is a strange thing, because we are in our own ancestral
lands, but yet we are not federally-recognized. I think that
there is much discrimination against us, actually.
The Chairman. One of the questions that is asked is, in
your work as an actress, are there any other indigenous people
as actresses or actors that you know of?
Ms. Carmelo. It is a small community, yes. And we mostly
all know each other and work with each other over and over
again. I think I have one actor who has played my brother and
my love interest several times over and over again. It just
recycles.
So yes, we all know each other very well. And it is a
pretty small community.
The Chairman. Ms. Tahbone, you have the title of Miss
Indian World. Last year, you won the prestigious title. Can you
please talk about the criteria used to judge the contestants?
Are these types of competitions effective in promoting cultural
preservation?
Ms. Tahbone. Yes. Miss Indian World, just a quick brief on
it, if you think about the Miss America pageant, and think
about that, but reverse it for, it is not a beauty pageant, it
is more of a cultural knowledge pageant. So it is a type of
pageant where the women have to show poise and grace and
knowledge on their culture. The criteria that we do in the Miss
Indian World pageant is we have to present an essay where we
have to be judged on our talent, so we decide to do a talent,
and then we are also judged on a specific type of dance style,
usually from where you are from, and then we also do a panel of
judges are interviewing us, and then of course impromptu
questions.
And it does a lot, I think it is a great thing to do,
especially for the young Native children, especially the young
girls, have someone to look up to, someone to be. When I went
and competed, I decided to do traditional Native games, which
is really important in Alaska. I was talking to Sam about, we
need to start working together so we can start building allies
and get some funding up there for us, so that the children
could start getting into traditional Native games. We have
about 100 traditional Native games up north that we use that we
created on our own, so that we can develop our bodies, prepare
our bodies to hunt out on the ice and develop skills that we
may need to survive. That is what our ancestors did to create
those games. We still carry on that tradition.
This pageant really helped me to open my eyes to be able to
talk to people about these types of things that are going on in
our communities. I met a lot of great people, and I think these
type of pageants are key to getting a lot of the young girls
interested in learning our culture, because they can wear a
beautiful crown, they want to be that princess, you know that.
Because when I saw those girls, I said, a princess. And it is
always the best when they really look up to you. All I had was
a beaded crown. I was not a princess, but to them I was. And
that was the best thing.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Mr. McCracken, again I want to commend you on the great
vision you brought to Nike. That vision has stood with the
seven generations philosophy. Can and should other businesses
seek to replicate the N7 model?
Mr. McCracken. Thank you for the question. It would be an
honor to have other companies want to give back in a community
where I grew up. I would encourage all companies to look at
this community through the same lens that we have looked at it
from a Nike perspective. Nike gave me the opportunity to do
this work. I am forever grateful for this opportunity, because
I know that eventually we will make a difference in our
communities. We know what sport means to our kids and our
communities.
If you go to any large Indian gathering, you will find guys
like Ernie Stephens telling war stories about how he played
basketball against Tex Hall. So the stories will go on forever.
Those stories happen because we have sport. I would encourage
other companies to join along and be part of what we call our
celebration of sport in our communities. Because it will create
a healthier lifestyle for our communities for years to come.
The Chairman. Thank you very much for that.
Ms. Carmelo, you have had the opportunity to act in both
historical and modern roles. Can you talk about the importance
of more Natives having the opportunity to transition to and
from both types of roles?
Ms. Carmelo. Yes, I think it is very important to have both
non-Native and Native roles. Whatever role we can possibly be
conceived in. Because it is a really beautiful thing as an
artist, number one, to be able to have that freedom. And that
is what every artist strives for, I believe.
Also as far as being role models, people to look up to, Ms.
Tahbone is a role model for her community. People see her, the
younger girls see her, and I think that is the same thing that
happens on a larger scale when you see somebody on film and
television who is like you in some way. You see something.
One of the Senators was talking about that some of the
children on reservations can't even conceive, and I have seen
that myself, I have actually visited a lot of Indian world, I
started off as a cultural dancer, presenting throughout the
United States. So I have seen a lot of Indian Country myself,
stayed on reservations quite a bit. And I have seen that, where
the children you see something really funny in them or really
beautiful, some talent in them. You tell them, you know what,
you could do this, you could go on. And they can't even
conceive of it sometimes.
And I think that it is so important to have that
inspiration for the children. Even for the population at large
to see people of any color on film and television, other
colors, of color, period.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Ms. Tahbone, as a young Native woman, what do you believe
are some of the greatest challenges that lie ahead for your
community? What steps can be taken to address these challenges?
Ms. Tahbone. In my generation, I think one of the biggest
challenges that I went through and a lot of my peers are going
through is that we are being labeled with that blood quantum. I
wrote in my testimony that I am more Kiowa than I am Inupiaq,
but in my heart, I am full Inupiaq, because that is how I was
raised.
When we play these traditional Native games, I am an avid
player, athlete in these traditional Native games. In our
criteria, you have to be a quarter Native to play. It is
interesting, because a lot of the athletes that are in these
events are, they grew up in rural communities but they are only
an eight or they are only a sixteenth Native and they cannot
participate in something that should let everyone participate.
I think that is one of the struggles that I see happening
in the near generation, is that my kids may only be an eighth.
You never know what is going to happen in the future, a lot of
things could happen. But one thing for sure is that I know I am
definitely going to teach my children how to be Inupiaq. That
is just the way that I grew up. I want them to know that.
But when someone says, no, you cannot play because your
blood says otherwise, I think that is one of the biggest
challenges that I see for the future generations, is that
restriction because of the blood. It is interesting to think
about, because my grandfather, he is full-blooded Kiowa. But he
says, they just counted me full-blooded, but really I am half
Irish, too. They didn't catch me in time.
And I think that is so funny, because we pride ourselves on
yes, I am full, four fourth blood quantum. But what are we
really at heart? I think that is one of the biggest challenges,
is that identity with blood quantum.
The Chairman. Thank you for that. I have a final question
to the panel. Any final recommendations on how we can best
reclaim our image and identity and also ensure that our vibrant
cultures will continue on into future generations? Now, this is
looking ahead, this is visionary. You have provided and shared
experiences that we hope the generations that are here now can
pick up and move on here.
We would like to, as we have here, we want to look at seven
generations, to plan for it. But time passes quickly and we
need to get our young people, our future generations to know
our culture and heritage and identity better than some of them
do now, and to continue to develop that for the future.
So I am going to call on Sam McCracken first, for any final
recommendations on how we can best reclaim our image and
identity.
Mr. McCracken. Thank you again for the opportunity. I think
my final recommendation would be that we need support from
Tribal leadership, government and policy makers, as well as
additional foundations, to really support, from our
perspective, the vision of providing access to sport for our
Native youth. We have seen that physical activity has increased
education in the classroom, clearer minds.
One of the roles that I play for our community is I sit on
the National Advisory Committee on Indian Education for the
President. And I continually remind those policy makers, when I
go to that meeting, because we talk a lot about math and
reading and science in education and the educational structure.
But I always continue to encourage them that we can't forget
about the physical activity piece, because that is what makes
our kids whole.
I think as we are going to set the foundation for future
generations, I would encourage policy makers to look at
programs that will encourage physical activity for the next
seven generations. So I thank you for the opportunity.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. Ms. Carmelo?
Ms. Carmelo. As for reclaiming our identity, I think that
obviously most of the people that you invited here today are
very invested in that. It definitely takes the leaders, the
Tribal leaders of all our nations to lead the way in that way.
I believe one of the main sources of reclaiming our
identity is our language. Another way, of course, for our
particular Tribe, well, for one of my Tribes, is Federal
recognition. I think it helps a lot to bind the Tribe together
in a manner that is not available for non-federally-recognized
Tribes.
I also believe what Ms. Tahbone said, the blood quantum
issue is a big issue. Because many people want to teach their
children their Tribal traditions. The truth is, we don't need
the Federal Government to recognize us and to tell us that we
are Indian. We are Indian. We know our heritage and our
background.
But it does help for those future generations, if we can't
marry within our own Tribes, for those future generations, if I
want to bring my children up or my children's children up that
way, it helps them to have their identity also. It
substantiates it. It doesn't hinge on it, but it helps it quite
a bit.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Ms. Tahbone.
Ms. Tahbone. My recommendation, I think Sam just took my
recommendation. Strong foundation, that is what I was going to
post mine on. But yes, building strong foundations for our
children is one of the biggest things that we need to do. My
recommendation for you guys is to just kind of put more
information out there for them, PSAs and campaigns about Native
Americans, something that is positive for them to look up to.
When I was in Nome, I was reading a book to the kids, then
we asked them, what did you want to be when you grow up,
because it was about careers. They all said, oh, a janitor, a
teacher. But it was because that is who they were always around
all day at school, their teachers and the janitors. And a
thought came to me that, these children, they look up to us so
much that they don't really care what we do, they just want to
do what we do.
So when we give that positive vibe, when we do something
that is important, those kids will want to do the same thing. I
think that is what we should do, what you guys can do, to
promote that for the children and the next seven generations.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you very much for that.
I want to extend a special mahalo, thank you to our
witnesses for participating in today's hearing. I commend the
tremendous work you all are doing and wish you well in your
future endeavors.
Though I am retiring soon, I know Indian Country is in good
hands. And we are talking about leadership, it is there, it is
coming, it is building. It is in good hands because of leaders
here today. What Sam McCracken mentioned, we need to of course
work with Tribal leaders as we move on here.
The hundreds that have participated in the Committee's
events over the last two years, and many more that are doing
tireless work in their communities, I want to tell you, the
years that I have been here working with this Committee, I have
met great leaders of the Indian communities nationally. To
build on their foundations is something that we need to
continue to do. We need to let the Nation know about who you
are, what you are, what you have accomplished as well, and
build the pride of our Native peoples.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have had the opportunity
to witness the beauty of the traditional Native dances, hear
the uniqueness of our Native languages coming from you, and see
the capabilities of Tribal governments. As was mentioned by Mr.
Lee, that foundation of having a good, strong capable unit to
work with in the Tribe is very important.
So it has been a pleasure that I will forever cherish.
Before we adjourn, I want to take a minute today to
recognize the Committee's chief Clerk, Marilyn Kauakea Bruce,
who sits there and keeps the technical equipment straight and
proper. I am commending her for her 35 years of public service
here, and 25 of which were in this Committee. Marilyn comes
from Hawaii, and she comes from a place that is called Hana, on
the island of Maui. To get there, when you drive, it takes two
hours, because the roads are winding. And for some reason, the
Hana people don't want to repair them.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. They like it that way. But it is a beautiful
community. That is her home. So I want to add my thanks to
Marilyn for her capable service here, for the Committee, for
the Senate and for this Country. She not only has worked for
five different members of Hawaii's Congressional delegation,
but also has served under Chairmen Inouye, Campbell, McCain,
Dorgan and myself. So we are going to miss her, but she has
served real well.
So I just want to say mahalo nui loa to Marilyn, and again
note her contributions to this Committee and our Native
communities over her many years of service.
Although they have not sat as long as Marilyn, I want to
acknowledge the outstanding contributions and dedication of all
of the staff of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. I
should tell you they have really worked hard, and I know that,
during my chairmanship. I should say my feeling was, we are
having a hearing every week. And it is not only hearings, but
because we wanted to keep the Tribes in touch with us and to
learn directly from the Tribes about their concerns.
We had other meetings that we held casually. And of course,
we made it a point that these meetings would not be documented,
so that they can be free to speak their minds, which they did.
But as a result of that, we are able to put the concerns
together, and if it needed legislation, we worked on that
legislation. But we tried to do as many things as we can to do
it administratively, so that it can be done more quickly to
help the Tribes.
So this Committee has been really busy doing that. And we
have accomplished much in the 112th Congress. I know they will
do much also in the future.
In closing, Native Hawaiians don't say goodbye. We say hui
ho'u, and it means, until we meet again, rahter than that is
it. We will see you again, so that is hui ho'u. So to everyone
here today, I extend my heartfelt blessings to you and your
Tribes, your families, and to the United States of America. It
is with much aloha that I say to you now, a hui ho'u, and we
will see you again. We have much to do and we will try to do it
together and bring about changes that will help the indigenous
peoples of this Country be productive and to become part of
this Country and what it produces.
This Country needs you, it needs us, because we are the
indigenous peoples here. We need to keep up that culture and
identity that we are talking about. So thank you again, mahalo
and a hui ho'u. This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 5:07 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]