Native Times Sovereignty Edition

NATIVE TIMES Economic, Political, and Cultural Sovereignty And What They Mean To Native Americans

Sovereignty Edition

Table of Contents

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Defining Sovereignty - What Is It?

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Higher Education In North America, How Native Nations Are Empowering Themselves

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Misunderstanding Tribal Sovereignty

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Advocating For Economic Sovereignty - Why Natives Deserve To Self Govern Resources

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Native Identity: Lessons To Be Learned

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Visual Sovereignty - Native Expressions Through A New Lens

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Sovereignty and Women’s Rights

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References

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Front cover photo: John Duffy/Flickr This page photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS

What Really Is Sovereignty?

By: Darby Bolt

In this file photo from the early 2000s, President George W. Bush signs the Executive Memorandum on Tribal Sovereignty and Consultation in honor of the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian. In recent years, many natives have voiced their displeasure and argued that the U.S. government has violated Tribal Sovereignty treaties and not taken government to government relations seriously. Photo courtesy of History.com Sovereignty is defined as supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.

Many people, including myself, did not know what this term meant until learning about Native American culture. Being that Native Americans are an important aspect to the history of this land, everyone should know what this term means, just like how everyone knows who the president of the United States is. This deficiency in the knowledge of what tribal sovereignty is can be partially blamed on the standards in school systems and what teachers are required to teach their students. An article by Journell discussing school standards claims that “states should frame their standards and assessments in a way that moves beyond a simple determination of whether students acquire content,” including concepts like tribal sovereignty (Journell).

Tribal sovereignty is an important enough term that any person would think it would be included in school standards, but unfortunately it is not, making the common citizen blinded to the importance of it. Luckily, taking a class about Native American culture has helped me understand this term that everyone should know because the United States government did not think they could govern themselves, even though they did it before the land was taken from them.

The United States government did not understand the term “tribal sovereignty,” being that they believed Native Americans could not govern themselves, even though that is exactly what sovereignty is. Each tribe had their own language and form of governing many years before the Europeans invaded. The tribes were

“Learning about sovereignty is an important aspect of the Native American culture and now I know the value of allowing a culture to govern themselves as they desire.” perfectly capable of governing themselves, but the United States government had a different idea. They broke the sovereignty that each tribe had. An article about the No Child Left Behind Act describes how it “limits the already contest-

ed sovereignty tribes exercise” regarding Native American schools and students (Winstead et al). The United States government broke sovereignty within the tribal nations, including their schools. People in today’s society do not realize or know this. They think that the force the United States government used to assimilate the Native Americans was to their benefit, however, it is clear that it only made matters worse for Native American tribes. They were living their lives successfully with their sovereignty until the government came in to change it. Being able to take a class covering the struggles Native American tribes went through with defending their sovereignty opens the eyes of unaware U.S. citizens.

Everyone should have the opportunity to take a class about Native American culture, not only to learn about important terms like tribal sovereignty, but other topics as well. Sovereignty can be a broad term, which can break into sub categories. There is visual sovereignty, which is demonstrating tribal sovereignty by using ideologies of the mass media. There is also economic sovereignty, which is tribes manage their own economy. Learning about sovereignty is an important aspect of the Native American culture and now I know the value of allowing a culture to govern themselves as they desire, without being influenced by another power.

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Sovereign Nations Come Together to Support Higher Education By: David Diener On March 14 thru 16, 2016 the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) met in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the AIHEC 2016 Student Conference. The theme of this year’s student conference was Harvesting Knowledge, Building Resiliency.

This theme was intended to acknowledge and recognize the vital work and achievements of all Tribal Colleges and Universities.

To understand the AIHEC, it is important to know a little bit about its history. The Navajo Community College was the first Native American college to open its doors at Many Farms, Arizona in the spring of 1969 with a student body of 301 students. The founding of Navajo Community College was a “historic stride towards greater sovereignty and self-determination for Indian Nations,” according to an article by Bradley Shreve in the Tribal College: Journal of American Indian Higher Education. Funding for the Navajo Community College was very difficult.

The first president of the college, Bob Roessel, worked with the Federal government to

The mission statement is very clear and direct: “To strengthen sovereign nations through excellence in Tribal higher education.”

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secure funding for the Navajo Community College. President Richard Nixon and key staff members of the Department of Interiors Bureau of Indian Affairs were part of the process to secure this funding. In December of 1971 the Navajo Community College Assistance Act was passed by Congress and signed into law.

The AIHEC was established in 1973 to represent the interests of the Native American tribal colleges that were operated and managed by sovereign Native American Nations. When the AIHEC was established there were only 6 colleges controlled by Native American Tribes. The present day AIHEC has 37 member tribal Colleges and Universities as shown on the map below.

The mission statement is very clear and direct: “To strengthen sovereign nations

This map shows the locations for all the Native American Colleges and Universities located in the United States. The Colleges and Universities are spread out over 14 states, with one even located in Alaska. Graphic

by The American Indian Higher Education Consortium through excellence in Tribal higher education.” Today the AIHEC is governed by the Presidents of each of the 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities.

As with the Navajo Community College, the AIHEC faced the issue of funding for all Native American colleges. In 1978 the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act was passed by Congress. This legislation continues to be the backbone of financial support for all the Native American Colleges and Universities today.

The treaties between the Federal government and Native Americans are a federal trust relation between sovereign nations and the Federal government is obligated to provide funding. The first and primary goal of the AIHEC is to secure funds at the fully authorized level set by Congress. Currently the funding falls short of the authorized level of $8,000 per Native American student. The average amount received by Tribal Colleges and Universities is $7,210 per Native American Student and no funding for non-native students. In order for Native American students to qualify they must be an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe.

Another major achievement of the AIHEC was to work with Congress to authorize the 1994 land-grant status to AIHEC members.

The AIHEC recently adopted a 5 year plan to advocate on behalf of its members and students. The 5 point plan is: sustaining, educating, innovating, engaging and honoring.

A yearly event takes place each February in Washington DC to give students and college presidents an opportunity to meet with their congressional delegation and share individual stories. This yearly event plays a large part in informing Congress of the achievements and successes of students.

These meetings are also a time to express the need for continued funding for AIHEC member Colleges and Universities.

Carrie Billy, (Dine’) the current President and CEO of AIHEC, says that it is important not to get discouraged because successful advocacy is a long process and he quotes Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”.

Misunderstanding and Lack of Knowledge Regarding Tribal Sovereignty By: Shailey Bennett Throughout history, there are countless examples of misunderstandings related to tribal sovereignty and its implications for Native Nations. Tribal sovereignty is indigenous people’s right to self government within the United States. Yet despite the relative simplicity of this definition, people continue to remain neglectful and uninformed about this native right. An example of this blindness can be found in one of President Bush’s responses to a question regarding tribal sovereignty, in which he responds by restating the question, saying “Uh, tribal sovereignty means that -it’s sovereign. You’re a... you’re a… you’ve been given sovereignty and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity”. Perhaps this example of ignorance appears particularly shocking because it was the president himself who did not understand this simple concept that is so central to understanding native nations in America.

The truth is, however, that not only the president but everyone should be informed and educated on the significance of tribal sovereignty.

Examples of this nature of misinformation and ignorance can be found across the globe, but have severe effects on their victims. One reason for the widespread lack of education regarding native nations and their rights may be the school system’s requirements.

Native history is barely taught, if at all, in many public schools in America. Another possible explanation for this nevertheless inexcus-

able behavior is the common view that natives are a people who exist almost exclusively as a part of America’s past, instead of acknowledging the actuality of their contributions to contemporary american society. All this to say, it is the responsibility of each american to educate themselves so that they maintain knowledge about native nations which otherwise may be overlooked and taken advantage of.

Below, this map shows the proportion of the United States population that is Native American for each county in the nation. This includes sovereign tribal lands in each respective state. Graphic by GeoCurrents.com

The above photo illustration shows one of George W. Bush’s infamous quotes regarding Native American tribal sovereignty in the United States. The quote shows how he truly lacks the knowledge about what tribal sovereignty is, and how he can’t articulate it’s meaning in any way. Photo illustration by AZQuotes.com

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Echoes of a Sovereign Nation By: Franklin Harris “Feel free to hunt and eat anything here, just make sure to eat what you kill and try to bury the heart.” ~ My Grampa to me while on the Reservation. I never understood the importance of these words. I mean, I understood that I would not starve, I understood that the woods had game in them but I did not understand the loads of case-law, ideals and treaties behind this saying. We have a right to our tribal resources.

We have a right to use them in a manner that our tribe, our nation feels best. That is economic sovereignty and the importance of that is not something I knew until this class. While we have sovereignty over the food in our forest and the fish in our stream there was more to the Spokane land, more that could have been used in a reasonable and lawful way had more of my people known about the law and ideals behind tribal sovereignty and economic sovereignty. It was before I was born when the midnite mine was open, so naturally I do not know all the details about its beginnings. What I do know is that the people whose land it was on, my people, the Spokane nation did not see a penny from its profits nor a respect for the land and life around it. Perhaps if more of us had known about sovereignty we would not have needed the EPA to clean up the now defunct mine. Perhaps it would have been different.

That’s why this is so important. That’s why the knowledge I gained here in this class will not be idly discarded like the rubble of the mine. The

“We have a right to our tribal resources.

We have a right to use them in a manner that our tribe, our nation feels best.

That is economic sovereignty...” lessons I learned here in the past months will be used. The laws and principles regarding my people’s right to exist on their own land by their own means in accordance with their own terms as all individuals, cultures and peoples have a right to. I remember when I was a kid one of the few stories we had was Raven brings the sun. A story in which the trickster god Raven steals the sun from a chief in a lodge who was hogging it and gave it to all the creatures of earth. I may not have had to trick anyone and I am certainly no Raven but with this knowledge I can help people. It may not be as soon as I graduate, or right now but eventually like Raven I can spread this I knowledge to give others a way to trick the greedy people who want to ravage the land. I can help. That is what it’s all about; helping.

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Top photo: Native Americans advocate for their own hunting and fishing rights and regulations, as they use their right to tribal sovereignty over their lands. Middle photo: Protestors and activists march against the Dakota Access Pipeline earlier this fall. At right: The legend of the Raven stealing the sun is depicted. Media courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The most important thing I learned in this class is the idea of economic sovereignty. We have a right to govern our resources and to live on our land. We should decide what happens to our crops, game and uranium; despite all those resources there is one that can be given more freely and that’s worth more; and that is knowledge.

Lessons on Cultural Sovereignty and Native Identity By: Daniel Coulter Throughout my education, the only time I have ever heard of the term-sovereignty was in terms of United States History and how the United States became a sovereign union as they separated themselves under the British Rule. In a contrasting view, when discussing the limited synopsis of Native American history, within United States History, it was never discussed that Tribal Nations had sovereignty in the same terms that the country did.

For the United States, culture and government are separated from each as a way to give a sense of a church and state. However, according to Amanda Cobb (2005), “For Native Nations, concepts of government and culture are inseparable” (p. 121). That being said, the most crucial lesson that I learned throughout the readings and projects, within the Native American Expressions Class of ETST 240, has to be the foundation of Native American Sovereignty and the vital role it plays within the interactions between the United States and Native American Nations. One aspect of this particular topic is that under sovereignty Native People have the

right to practice their culture, traditions, and rituals as well as the right to self-determination in terms of identity. As these aspects of sovereignty culminate to distinguish people of different tribes and says that there is not just one Native American to represent them all.

As explained by Wallace Coffey and Rebecca Tsosie, “Indian people know very well and non-Indians know very little: the cultural existence of an Indian nation with its own territory, identity, and history, that has been enveloped by another nation in a contemporary “pluralistic” and “multicultural” society” (2001, p. 191). This issue of non-natives not understanding that tribes have different cultures is not uncommon.

Since there is no knowledge of it, representation

and assimilation conflicts have risen between Natives and Non-native identified groups.

Coffey and Tsosie (2001) describe these conflicts based upon their languages, ceremonies,

“The concept of “sovereignty” evokes group autonomy, affirming the notion that the tribal community is the locus of cultural sovereignty...” and ways of life. These aspects are continually threatened through assimilation, media, the education system, and issues between the U.S.

required to examine the nature of their governmental authority as tied to territorial boundaries or as tied to a cultural conception of membership, or perhaps as both” (Coffey and Tsosie, 2001, p. 199).

Overall cultural sovereignty brings together community within a Native Tribe, without a shared culture of tradition or values the sense of identity for Natives is lost. This is why it is important for others to learn about the overall concept of Native Sovereignty and what it means in terms of culture and identity for Natives.

It has been truly inspirational to see the identities and cultures that are distinguished within the arts and writings that have been a focus within this class, and to see how the different identities and traditions that different Native Peoples have because of cultural sovereignty. It was amazing to experience artists’ works in class from the sculptures, baskets, and poetry.

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At left, a photo from Matika Wilbur’s “Project 562” shows members of the Tulalip Tribe. Wilbur’s project was created to show cultural sovereignty of Native tribes all across the United States, and it’s aim was to show native peoples in a manner other than the stereotypGovernment failing to uphold acts reinforced ical “American Indian” light - they through Native Sovereignty (p. 196). I have were shown through their own learned that because there is lack of regard in culture and given a chance to repterms of sovereignty by Non-natives, that Natives pay the price by having their traditions and resent themselves. Above, a horsehair basket woven by Linda Aguilar lifestyles ripped away from them and put into a collection as a whole that represents all Natives, is on display. Basket weaving by instead of just representing solely a single tribe. native people, such as Aguilar, is A greater lesson learned about cultural a form of cultural sovereignty and sovereignty is the how it is important to comgives natives a chance to express munity. “The concept of “sovereignty” evokes and show off their own culture. group autonomy, affirming the notion that the Images by Matika Wilbur, and courtribal community is the locus of cultural sovereignty. However, Indian people today live in a tesy of The School for Advanced variety of communities, both urban and reserResearch vation-based. Indian nations are increasingly

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Native American Visual Sovereignty: More Than Meets The Eye By: Forrest Czarnecki The most valuable lesson learned from this class is the idea of visual sovereignty, and the right to visual sovereignty that Native Americans have. Visual sovereignty can be described as the ability for natives to express themselves and accurately represent themselves through an independent means of communication where image, culture, language, beliefs, and lifestyles are accurately depicted through in photographs and movies. The role that visual sovereignty plays in Native American’s lives is huge, and it is critical to their culture, and as the social and political dynamics of the United States (or even the greater part of North America) continue to change, visual sovereignty becomes even more important to native cultures and groups.

In class we have spent a lot of time discussing the social dynamics surrounding the visual and ideological stereotypes that natives must deal with, and how these negative stereotypes are often times a result of the misrepresentation of natives in pop culture, visual expressions, and many other forms of communication. One of the biggest (and seemingly unavoidable) dynamics of the stereotypes that are almost inherently attached natives is the visual stereotype of the native identity and culture (Kuwada 2014).

This encompasses the (falsely) classic ideas of what a “true” (stereotyped) native looks like.

False stereotypes usually attempt to show how natives act, what a native wears, what their culture is like, how they speak, and the list goes on and on (Raheja 2016). These images and false stereotypes can (somewhat arguably) all be traced back to one single cause: the misrepresentation of natives in visual media by non-native people who appropriate and misinterpret

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Zacharias Kunuk, the producer and dirctor of The Fast Runner is known for producing native movies and films, and accurately portraying native cultures in his work. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A still photo from the set of Nanook of the North shows how the film was shot in a culturally accurate/appropriate manner and location, and utilized native actors. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons native identity and culture. These misrepresentations in visual media are then seen by the masses, which is essentially the greater American public, and then these false images that were produced by non-native people are more often than not labeled as the “true” and factual depiction of native peoples (Kuwada 2014).

Enter visual sovereignty. The right to/of visual sovereignty by Native American people helps alleviate and fix many of the false stereotypes and override the false dynamics surrounding native identity that were discussed above. When native peoples have the ability to create their own image of their culture, language, clothes, and identities to show to the public, they (natives) are being accurately and truthfully represented. When natives express visual sovereignty, they are taking advantage of their right to express themselves and truly show who they are (Raheja 2016). Movies, television shows, and photographs that are produced by natives and incorporate natives will inherently always do a better job at showing native culture and ideas compared to media produced by non-natives (Raheja 2016).

For example, when movies are produced by non-natives, the “native” person is typically played by someone who is not native. They are dressed up to look like the stereotypical Native American, speak in the false and culturally damaging accent of a Native American, and they play an insignificant role in the film/show. These false appropriations are corrected by visual sovereignty of natives. This is shown through the example of the film “The Fast Runner”, where the culture of Inuit people living in the Arctic is accurately represented due to the fact that all

of the actors are native, the filmmakers were native, and the movie was show in the environment which the Inuits call home.

The right to visual sovereignty for Native Americans is a crucial part of their culture. It helps accurately portray their culture, their language, their beliefs, and their identity as natives.

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Johnny Depp, left, is depicted as “Tonto” in the movie The Lone Ranger.

Depp takes part in red-facing, when a non native actor plays the role of a native in a film. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sovereignty and Women’s Rights By: Taylor Wanstreet The fight for complete and unquestioned sovereignty amongst Native nations is undoubtedly top on the agenda for Native Americans.

What hasn’t quite made the cut however, is the equal treatment of women to men within these nations. The problem here arises with the question of whether or not combining equal rights of women as well as the demand for tribal sovereignty will help or hurt the cause. It is suggested that combining gender with race and sovereignty problems could end up being divisive, taking attention away from the issue of sovereignty. I, however, question whether or not this is true. Is it not possible to address these problems side by side? Natives are fighting a battle that they have been fighting for centuries, but is it not even more for the women to struggle with sexism as well? As a topic that hits so close to home for myself, I can’t help but yearn for a compromise that incorporates solution to both problems, and I am not alone in this thought process.

Winnebago Scholar Renya Ramirez stated that, “Native Scholars’ privileging of race and tribal nation over gender is problematic, since indigenous women are disenfranchised simultaneously by race as well as gender.” (Ramirez 2007). It is clear that addressing one issue without addressing the other neglects the problems of half of those affected.

Despite these obvious implications through ignoring these problems, it is still considered widely that women’s rights should come second to tribal sovereignty. Ward Churchill, a Native author and political activist, claims that “all struggles of sexism are of secondary importance

Above, the cover to The Road Back to Sweetgrass (written by Linda LeGarde Grover) is pictured. The novel depicts some of the stuggles that Native women have to endure in regards to feminist problems, such as sexual assault, profiling, and other social problems. Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Press

because, traditionally, sexism did not exist in Indian nations,” (Smith 2005). Whether or not sexism was prominent originally or not, there is no denying that it is rampant now, and is in need of action. Another Native scholar, Andrea Smith, sums it up when she says that “race, gender, and tribal nation[s] must be connected to combat the rampant sexual violence suffered by Native women,” (Ramirez 2007).

Taking a look at where the taking of tribal sovereignty began, it could be argued that gender division was the weapon used by colonists against natives. By assigning all leading roles to men, colonists were able to divide the natives, therefore cutting the supposed “threat” in half.

This class has taught me, above all things, that people need to be recognized for what they are, not by what dictating powers say they are. I believe that native women, above all, have been the victims of these crimes against sovereignty.

By saying that these women should give up their rights for the greater cause seems tragic and ironic given the circumstances that Natives are fighting for otherwise. I believe that in order for complete and utter sovereignty to be achieved, all members of the tribes should be formally recognized and respected, regardless of gender.

This, to me, seems crucial. By uniting as one tribe on equal grounds, I believe that natives overall will be more empowered than ever, and able to fight even harder for the rights stolen from all of them. Through gender equality, sovereignty will become the only fight on anyone’s mind.

The graph above shows the results from a study involving sexual assault rates among Aboriginal and Native women and non-Native women in Canada. Similar statistics apply to Native women in the United States, and across the rest of the world.

The study indicates that Native women are victims of sexual assualt at almost twice the amount or rate of any other ethnicity.

Graph courtesy of Statistics Canada

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References/Citations: David Diener References; Tribal College: Journal of American Indian Higher Education, Volume 28 No. 2 Winter 2016.

AIHEC 2016 Program for the March 14-16, 2016 Conference Forrest Czarnecki References: Raheja, M. (2015). Visual Sovereignty. In TEVES S., SMITH A., & RAHEJA M. (Eds.), Native Studies Keywords(pp. 25-34). University of Arizona Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183gxzb.6 Raheja, M. (2016). Reservation Reelism: Redfacing, Visual Sovereignty, and Representations of Native Americans in Film. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/ Kuwada B, Yamashiro A. (2014) CFP: Special Issue of Marvels and Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies (2016) Guest Editors: Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada and Aiko Yamashiro. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www. naisa.org/ Daniel Coulter References: Coffey, W., & Tsosie, R. (2001, June). Rethinking the Tribal Sovereignty Doctrine: Cultural Sovereignty and the Collective Future of Indian Nations. Stanford Law & Policy Review.

Cobb, A. J. (2005). Understanding Tribal Sovereignty: Definitions, Conceptualizations, and Interpretations. American Studies, 115-132.

Darby Bolt References: Journell, W. (2009). An Incomplete History: Representation of American Indians in State Social Studies Standards. Journal of American Indian Education, 48(2).

Winstead, T., Lawrence, A., Brantmeier, E. J., & Frey, C. J. (2008). Language, Sovereignty, Cultural Contestation, and American Indian Schools: No Child Left Behind and a Navajo Test Case. Journal of American Indian Education, 47(1).

Franklin Harris References: U. (2005, September 01). Midnite mine health assessment. Retrieved October 10, 2016, from https://www3.epa.gov/region10/pdf/sites/midnite_mine/human_health_risk_assessment_sept2005.pdf Nozedar, A. (2012). The Element encyclopedia of Native Americans: The ultimate a-z of the tribes, symbols, and wisdom of the Native Americans of North America. London: HarperElement.

Waldman, C. (1988). Encyclopedia of Native American tribes: Carl Waldman. New York: Facts on File McDermott, Gerald, Gerald McDermott, Warren Wallerstein, David Hough, and Lydia D’moch. Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993. Print.

United States v. Kagama, 118 U.S. 375, 6 S. Ct. 1109, 30 L. Ed. 228 (1886).

Washington v. Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation, 447 U.S. 134, 100 S. Ct. 2069, 65 L. Ed. 2d 10 (1980).

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