WASHINGTON – President Barack
Obama will host
a White House
Tribal Nations
Conference on Nov.
5.
Leaders or
representative
from all 564
federally
recognized
tribes will be
invited.
“Indian country
has been waiting
for well over a
decade for a
meeting of this
caliber with the
President of the
United States,”
said Joe A.
Garcia,
National
Congress of
American Indians
president.
The gathering is
part of the
president’s
outreach to all
American people.
Leaders say the
White House area
used for such
large meetings
is under
renovation, so
they will gather
at
the
Sidney R. Yates
Auditorium of
the
Department
of the Interior.
“I look forward
to hearing
directly from
the leaders in
Indian country
about what my
administration
can do to not
only meet their
needs, but help
improve their
lives and the
lives of their
peoples,” Obama
said.
“This conference
will serve as
part of the
ongoing and
important
consultation
process that I
value, and
further
strengthen the
nation-to-nation
relationship.”
“I commend
President Obama
for setting this
precedent for
his
administration’s
nation-to-nation
working
relationship
with tribes. We
have an
ambitious agenda
to strengthen
economic
development and
improve tribal
government
services,”
Joe Garcia, NCAI.
“Tribal leaders
are very
satisfied that
President Obama
is fulfilling
his promise to
meet with tribal
leaders on a
regular basis
during his term
in office,”
W. Ron Allen,
chairman of the
Jamestown
S’Klallam Tribe,
says instead of
just listening,
tribal leaders
want an active
conversation in
which the
nations
presented their
issues clearly.
“We do not want
this to be a
photo op,” he
said.
“We are hopeful
that he will
reaffirm and
strengthen his
administration’s
commitment to
the
‘government-to-government’
relationship
including clear
instruction to
all departments
and agencies
under his
executive
authority.”
Jackie Johnson Pata, NCAI
executive
director,
suggested tribal
nations be
prepared to
speak in a
unified voice
and with a clear
message. Among
the priority
topics are
sovereignty and the need for
the federal
government to
honor trust
responsibilities.
The Department
of Interior is
working with MyTribeTV, an
Indian-owned
business in
Seattle, Wash.,
to provide
online coverage
of the
conference.
“We are very
excited to help
showcase this
important event
to Indian
country,” said
Gaard Swanson, a
co-owner of the
company.
Native
Village Home Page