Notes from Native America- a postscript

Greetings, I hope you all had a great holiday!

First I would like to say thank you to all of you who have responded to these Notes, some with stories of your own ancestry. It heartens me to know that there are individuals who appreciate hearing about these things during American Indian Heritage Month and enjoy a glimpse into other cultures. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Duane Matt, who helped me get them out when I was out of town.

It is always with some difficulty that I end the Notes from Native America each November. That is because, while I try to include items that the population at large will find interesting, and hopefully enlightening, there is an underlying disquieting feeling that this is merely a small reflection of what I live every day, and to countless others on reservations, a much more stark reality.

While American Indians comprise only about one per cent of the population in this country, there are more laws controlling them and their interests than any other kind of law. While many social difficulties remain that are similar to those of other minorities, only American Indians are land-based, and thus subject to the ever-fluctuating nuances of Federal Indian Law interpreting their ability to control their own destinies. (1)

As Tex Hall, President of the National Congress of American Indians (2), mentioned in his speech to our Denver Federal Executive Board American Indian Committee seminar on Nov. 19, recent Supreme Court decisions have had the effect of diminishing tribes' autonomy while also whittling back the government's trust responsibility to them. This both increases Indian dependency on federal programs and cuts back on them at the same time. (3) Indian country is watching very closely how the Court will rule on two cases up before them today - that of the White Mountain Apache, and that of the Navajo Nation. Both are expected to interpret the perceived extent of the federal trust responsibility to American Indian nations and peoples. (4)

While small in population, it becomes necessary for Indians to constantly educate others concerning American Indian issues, as they affect everyone in the country, whether they are aware or not. To that end I would like to leave you with some websites, in hopes that you will be interested enough to continue to explore, and examine how Indian issues affect you, your job, your prosperity, your own rights, the futures of your children as well as their Native American Indian peers.

Thanks again, and see you again next year!

NDN News:

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http://www.indianz.com/default.asp

http://indiancountry.com/

http://www.okit.com/index.htm

http://nativelaw.nativeweb.org/newsdigest/

http://anpa.ualr.edu/Default.htm

audio-

http://www.nativecalling.org/

http://www.nativevoice.org/

Government:

http://indian.senate.gov/nsindex.html (has some great videos of hearings)

http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/aminhot1.html

Other categories such as geneology, cultural sites, music, non-profits, more government,

tourism and so on can be accessed at:

http://www.aipc.osmre.gov/links.htm

notes:

1. The Rights of Indians and Tribes, 3rd Edition, by Stephen Pevar -

http://www.siu.edu/~siupress/titles/f02_titles/pevar_indians3rd.htm

Handbook of Federal Indian Law-

http://thorpe.ou.edu/cohen.html

2. National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org/

3. Nevada v Hicks - http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-1994.ZO.html

and Atkinson v Shirley - http://law.utoledo.edu/faculty/AtkinsonCase.htm

4. White Mtn. Apache and Navajo Nation Supreme Court Cases-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61432-2002Dec1.html