Post by Okwes on Feb 3, 2006 10:07:18 GMT -5
State of the Indian Nations address focuses on "Four Great Steps"
Full text of NCAI leader's speech
WASHINGTON DC
Native American Times 2/2/2006
www.nativetimes.com
National Congress of American Indians President Joe Garcia has
delivered the fourth annual State of the Indian Nations address,
outlining what he called "Four Great Steps" for Indian Country to
pursue in the coming year.
"Four Great Steps" is a reference to the spiritual outlook of the
Four Directions.
"We face four areas of great challenge and we must meet each of them
in order to move our nations forward. Just as the Four Directions
provide a map for the soul, The Four Great Steps define the
challenges we face as tribal governments—the needs we must meet and
overcome to improve the lives of those of us of the Indian nations,"
Garcia said.
The four areas Garcia focused on are: reforms in public safety and
law enforcement; Indian health care; education and tribal economies;
and a quick, fair settlement to the long-running Indian trust
lawsuit.
The following is the full text of Garcia's speech:
On behalf of the sovereign Indian nations within the United States of
America and the National Congress of American Indians, I welcome you
to the fourth annual State of the Indian Nations address. I welcome
tribal leaders, Administration officials, members of the House and
Senate, national Indian organizations, friends and family who have
gathered here in Washington D.C.; and the many who are listening
across the country.
The state of the Indian Nations today is strong. Over the past year,
many of our people have withstood devastation in the form of
Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, losing everything they had. Our
prayers are with them.
Many of our native brothers and sisters are wearing the uniform of
the U.S. Armed Forces today. They are fighting the War on Terror in
Afghanistan and Iraq, or are serving our country in other places here
and around the world. Our prayers are with them, too—and so is our
undying gratitude.
Strength, triumph over adversity, the will to succeed—the Indian
Nations stand strong today. We are growing more self-sufficient, more
economically developed, more politically active; and as always,
steadfastly committed to the stewardship and defense of our home, the
United States of America.
At the same time, this confidence is matched by an acute awareness of
our problems. We know that if you want change, you have to do the
work yourself; relying only on the others to the extent of their
promised commitment. The spiritual outlook of the Indian nations is
found in The Four Directions, each represented by a different color,
a different animal and a different meaning. Everything in the world
comes from the four directions—these four powers. And they must be in
balance.
The meaning of each direction varies among tribes, but consider the
tradition of the Pueblos. North is blue or green — conflict and
tension. West is yellow — and the condition of man — in darkness and
in danger — standing before the unknown. South is red — peace,
resolution and rest. East is white — victory, sunrise, clarity. Man
must turn to each of these four directions to solve a problem.
Today I borrow from that tradition to describe the task before the
Indian Nations. We face four areas of great challenge. And we must
meet each of them in order to move our nation forward.
Number 1: Public Safety;
Number 2: Healthcare;
Number 3: Education and the Economy; and
Number 4: The Trust Settlement.
I call these The Four Great Steps—the agenda for the Indian Nations.
Just as the Four Directions provide a map for the soul, The Four
Great Steps define the challenges we face as tribal governments—the
needs we must meet and overcome to improve the lives of those of us
of the Indian Nations.
Number one: Law Enforcement.
First is public safety. The problem, simply stated, is this: We have
the will and the abilities, but we lack the means. The inability of
border tribes to stem the flow of illegal aliens passing through
their communities is a profound problem. Some aliens may want no more
than entry into our country, but there are others who cross to engage
in drug trafficking and other crimes. The results for our communities
are increased murder rates, higher rates of theft, more rapes and
beatings, and the fear among many of even going out.
This is unacceptable. We want to implement a long-term solution to
the problem that is more than simply stopping those we can catch and
send back, and letting the rest get through.
We want to do more, but we do not have the means. We are largely on
our own because of limited financial assistance from the federal
government. The government's responsibility to us in this way is
mandated, and we are prepared to work with them. But they must give
us the tools to do so. According to the Justice Department, the
typical Indian Country police force has no more than three officers
responsible for patrolling an area the size of Delaware. So we must
do more to protect our families.
We want to help in other ways, as well. In particular, we want to do
more to protect American Indian women, who suffer greatly from
domestic violence. Homicide is the third leading cause of death for
Native women. Seventy percent of American Indians who are the victims
of violent crimes are victimized by someone of a different race.
Methamphetamine is a poison taking Indian lives, destroying Indian
families, and razing entire communities. In 2005, Jesus Sagaste-Cruz
was convicted of conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine. He
knew that enforcement was lax on tribal lands. And he figured he
could use that to his advantage. In his case, it did not work. But in
too many others, it does.
The remedy begins with more resources, but that is only part. It also
includes streamlining the system we use to get those resources. On
the matter of border control, federal policy requires tribal
governments to apply for Department of Homeland Security funding
through state and local governments. This does not work. I call for a
direct line between our tribes and Homeland Security in this matter.
For domestic violence, I am proud to say that President Bush and the
Congress have already taken action to help, with the recent
reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. We call upon
Congress to fully fund this life-saving legislation.
In the war against methamphetamine, the answer is numbers: We need
more officers to fight back. Overall, we must have increased
manpower, realistic funding, and improved communication.
Number two: Healthcare.
Second of the Steps is healthcare: Because of inferior healthcare,
the quality and length of life for American Indians falls well below
the rest of the U.S. American Indians have a life expectancy five
years less than the rest of the country. A typical American Indian is
650 percent more likely to die from tuberculosis, 420 percent more
likely to die from diabetes, 280 percent more likely to die in an
accident, and 52 percent more likely to die from pneumonia or
influenza than the rest of the U.S. population.
Native American healthcare is often no more than emergency treatment,
which means that our people are getting care only when they can't
wait anymore. There's little preventive healthcare and little
education for healthier living. Healthcare expenditures for Indian
are less than half what America spends for federal prisoners. Let me
repeat that: Healthcare expenditures for Indian are less than half
what America spends for federal prisoners.
And remember that there are real people behind these numbers. The Ute
Mountain Ute tribe in Towaoc, Colorado, recently lost three tribal
elders in a van accident because the only way these elders could get
dialysis was to drive two-and-a-half hours each way to the nearest
hospital with the right equipment. What they needed wasn't close
enough.
Because of this, I call upon Congress and the President to uphold
their historic and contractual obligation by reauthorizing the
tribally proposed Indian Health Care Improvement Act during this
session of Congress. This legislation is no less than the framework
for the Indian healthcare system. It will bring our outdated and
inadequate system into the 21st Century — addressing mental health,
substance abuse and youth suicide, and support for attracting and
retaining qualified healthcare professionals.
Basic things such as in-home healthcare are becoming commonplace. But
they are not yet a common part of the system of Indian healthcare.
They ought to be.
Number 3: Education and the Economy.
The third Great Step is education and the economy: As it now exists,
the Indian education system is inadequate to meet our children's
needs. This in turn drags down our economy, whose infrastructure
already lags behind the rest of the country.
Education, the skills and abilities that our children learn in
school, is the foundation of the economy. And the Indian education
system is lacking.
Only half of Indian students complete high school. Only 13 percent of
American Indians hold bachelors or graduate degrees, less than half
the national average. We know from academic studies that Indian
children flourish when their classroom experiences are built on our
tradition, language and our culture. The No Child Left Behind Act
allows for this kind of education, but the resources to actually make
it possible have yet to be appropriated.
The remedy, of course, is to fully fund this part of the No Child
Left Behind Act. I am confident that this culture-centered approach
will work because I have seen it work. In 1994, the Alaska Rural
Systemic Initiative began connecting students with elders in the
community; and creating a passion for learning by showing students
how to explore science and history in light of their cultural
heritage. It worked. Over a 10-year period, student performance went
up. Test scores improved and dropout rates declined.
And this didn't require blue-ribbon panels or years of research. It
helped as soon as it was begun: turning the unique position of the
Indian Nations into an asset by making Indian children proud of where
they come from.
I call on Congress to appropriate the funds to complete, what is for
Indian Country, a part of the No Child Left Behind Act that we cannot
afford to miss. Education is a pillar of the economy. Another pillar
of the economy is government. Just as state and municipal governments
are obligated to provide vital services and promote growth, so are
tribal governments.
Though federal spending for Indians has lost ground compared with
spending for the U.S. population at large, tribal self-governance has
proved that federal investment in tribes pays off. Between 1990 and
2000, income rose by a third and the poverty rate declined by 7
percent. And a Harvard study shows that these gains occur with or
without gaming. Tribal governments have worked hard to put laws in
place that promote economic activity and Indian reservations are the
next great opportunity for the American economy.
But this is only a beginning. Real per-capita income of Indians
living on reservations is still less than half of the national
average. Unemployment is still double what it is for the rest of the
country. And the poorest counties in the United States are on tribal
lands. So we still have yet to join the success of the rest of the
nation.
Because of our often-remote location relative to superior
professional services, it is crucial for us to join the
telecommunications revolution of distance learning, telemedicine,
public safety, e-commerce, and electronic government. Not enough
Indians have access.
Housing conditions for many Indians have reached the crisis point.
Four in ten Indians are under-housed. To avoid going homeless, many
are forced to crowd several families into a single-family structure.
I've seen up to eighteen people stuffed into a three-bedroom house.
More than one in eight Indians lack access to safe drinking water.
More than one in twelve lack access to basic sanitation. This is
humiliating, degrading, and medically unconscionable. It is wrong,
and it has to be brought to an end. We are sovereign, independent,
self-sustaining nations. But as I have noted before, our mandated
relationship with the United States Government puts us in a
precarious position.
Our success is dependent to a large extent on the Governments'
respect for tribal rights to self-determination and self-sufficiency.
NCAI's fiscal year 2007 Indian Country Budget Request outlines some
visions tribes have for meaningful federal investment in Indian
Country.
The success of Indian Country in self-governing and managing their
resources warrant continued federal investment in tribal self-
determination. And this does work. Native Americans are becoming
homeowners at an increasing rate, 39 percent more from 1997 to 2001.
Last year, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
assist tribes in the development of energy.
I am grateful to the President for this support—because it supports
our cultural commitment to natural environmental harmony, and our
belief that we must be caretakers of the land we cherish. We look
forward to working with the Administration on the implementation of
the law in the same spirit.
Number four: The Trust Settlement.
The fourth and final Step is the trust settlement: The fact that the
Cobell litigation remains unsettled impedes our progress with the
federal government on nearly all other issues. This litigation has
dragged on for ten years and recent decisions indicate that it will
be delayed many more years, with diminishing chances of a favorable
outcome. This litigation is diverting money from other needs and
creating an environment in the Administration that makes it hard to
move on to other issues.
The solution is straightforward: let's settle Cobell fairly and
quickly, and then let's move ahead. We want Congress to deal with
this in good faith and then allow us all to put it behind us.
Whatever the settlement turns out to be, the ongoing years of delay
will cost millions in lost opportunity. Let's move on.
As Indians, our lives are defined by our history and our rich
cultures. We believe in elevating virtue to a way of life. We believe
in family, tradition, and self-determination. Our tribes exist as
nations with sovereign and independent governments. And we are keenly
aware of the challenges we face in providing for our people.
I believe the way to meet those challenges is through these Four
Great Steps: Public Safety; Healthcare; our economy and
infrastructure and the education of our young people. And finally,
the speedy achievement of a reasonable trust settlement.
The state of the Indian Nations is strong. This is a plan for making
it stronger. And I am confident that this will happen. Most of you
here know that from where we are today, it is only a few blocks to
the newest memorial on the Mall, the National Museum of the American
Indian. The exhibits inside tell our story. But the museum's presence
on the Mall itself, in the last unoccupied ground before the Capitol,
shows the world the unbreakable bond between the Indian Nations and
the United States of America.
Our fates are bound together. This is where we belong. Just as the
Four Directions show a way to live, these Four Great Steps show a way
to grow. I look forward to seeing this progress for the benefit of us
all.
Thank you.
Full text of NCAI leader's speech
WASHINGTON DC
Native American Times 2/2/2006
www.nativetimes.com
National Congress of American Indians President Joe Garcia has
delivered the fourth annual State of the Indian Nations address,
outlining what he called "Four Great Steps" for Indian Country to
pursue in the coming year.
"Four Great Steps" is a reference to the spiritual outlook of the
Four Directions.
"We face four areas of great challenge and we must meet each of them
in order to move our nations forward. Just as the Four Directions
provide a map for the soul, The Four Great Steps define the
challenges we face as tribal governments—the needs we must meet and
overcome to improve the lives of those of us of the Indian nations,"
Garcia said.
The four areas Garcia focused on are: reforms in public safety and
law enforcement; Indian health care; education and tribal economies;
and a quick, fair settlement to the long-running Indian trust
lawsuit.
The following is the full text of Garcia's speech:
On behalf of the sovereign Indian nations within the United States of
America and the National Congress of American Indians, I welcome you
to the fourth annual State of the Indian Nations address. I welcome
tribal leaders, Administration officials, members of the House and
Senate, national Indian organizations, friends and family who have
gathered here in Washington D.C.; and the many who are listening
across the country.
The state of the Indian Nations today is strong. Over the past year,
many of our people have withstood devastation in the form of
Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, losing everything they had. Our
prayers are with them.
Many of our native brothers and sisters are wearing the uniform of
the U.S. Armed Forces today. They are fighting the War on Terror in
Afghanistan and Iraq, or are serving our country in other places here
and around the world. Our prayers are with them, too—and so is our
undying gratitude.
Strength, triumph over adversity, the will to succeed—the Indian
Nations stand strong today. We are growing more self-sufficient, more
economically developed, more politically active; and as always,
steadfastly committed to the stewardship and defense of our home, the
United States of America.
At the same time, this confidence is matched by an acute awareness of
our problems. We know that if you want change, you have to do the
work yourself; relying only on the others to the extent of their
promised commitment. The spiritual outlook of the Indian nations is
found in The Four Directions, each represented by a different color,
a different animal and a different meaning. Everything in the world
comes from the four directions—these four powers. And they must be in
balance.
The meaning of each direction varies among tribes, but consider the
tradition of the Pueblos. North is blue or green — conflict and
tension. West is yellow — and the condition of man — in darkness and
in danger — standing before the unknown. South is red — peace,
resolution and rest. East is white — victory, sunrise, clarity. Man
must turn to each of these four directions to solve a problem.
Today I borrow from that tradition to describe the task before the
Indian Nations. We face four areas of great challenge. And we must
meet each of them in order to move our nation forward.
Number 1: Public Safety;
Number 2: Healthcare;
Number 3: Education and the Economy; and
Number 4: The Trust Settlement.
I call these The Four Great Steps—the agenda for the Indian Nations.
Just as the Four Directions provide a map for the soul, The Four
Great Steps define the challenges we face as tribal governments—the
needs we must meet and overcome to improve the lives of those of us
of the Indian Nations.
Number one: Law Enforcement.
First is public safety. The problem, simply stated, is this: We have
the will and the abilities, but we lack the means. The inability of
border tribes to stem the flow of illegal aliens passing through
their communities is a profound problem. Some aliens may want no more
than entry into our country, but there are others who cross to engage
in drug trafficking and other crimes. The results for our communities
are increased murder rates, higher rates of theft, more rapes and
beatings, and the fear among many of even going out.
This is unacceptable. We want to implement a long-term solution to
the problem that is more than simply stopping those we can catch and
send back, and letting the rest get through.
We want to do more, but we do not have the means. We are largely on
our own because of limited financial assistance from the federal
government. The government's responsibility to us in this way is
mandated, and we are prepared to work with them. But they must give
us the tools to do so. According to the Justice Department, the
typical Indian Country police force has no more than three officers
responsible for patrolling an area the size of Delaware. So we must
do more to protect our families.
We want to help in other ways, as well. In particular, we want to do
more to protect American Indian women, who suffer greatly from
domestic violence. Homicide is the third leading cause of death for
Native women. Seventy percent of American Indians who are the victims
of violent crimes are victimized by someone of a different race.
Methamphetamine is a poison taking Indian lives, destroying Indian
families, and razing entire communities. In 2005, Jesus Sagaste-Cruz
was convicted of conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine. He
knew that enforcement was lax on tribal lands. And he figured he
could use that to his advantage. In his case, it did not work. But in
too many others, it does.
The remedy begins with more resources, but that is only part. It also
includes streamlining the system we use to get those resources. On
the matter of border control, federal policy requires tribal
governments to apply for Department of Homeland Security funding
through state and local governments. This does not work. I call for a
direct line between our tribes and Homeland Security in this matter.
For domestic violence, I am proud to say that President Bush and the
Congress have already taken action to help, with the recent
reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. We call upon
Congress to fully fund this life-saving legislation.
In the war against methamphetamine, the answer is numbers: We need
more officers to fight back. Overall, we must have increased
manpower, realistic funding, and improved communication.
Number two: Healthcare.
Second of the Steps is healthcare: Because of inferior healthcare,
the quality and length of life for American Indians falls well below
the rest of the U.S. American Indians have a life expectancy five
years less than the rest of the country. A typical American Indian is
650 percent more likely to die from tuberculosis, 420 percent more
likely to die from diabetes, 280 percent more likely to die in an
accident, and 52 percent more likely to die from pneumonia or
influenza than the rest of the U.S. population.
Native American healthcare is often no more than emergency treatment,
which means that our people are getting care only when they can't
wait anymore. There's little preventive healthcare and little
education for healthier living. Healthcare expenditures for Indian
are less than half what America spends for federal prisoners. Let me
repeat that: Healthcare expenditures for Indian are less than half
what America spends for federal prisoners.
And remember that there are real people behind these numbers. The Ute
Mountain Ute tribe in Towaoc, Colorado, recently lost three tribal
elders in a van accident because the only way these elders could get
dialysis was to drive two-and-a-half hours each way to the nearest
hospital with the right equipment. What they needed wasn't close
enough.
Because of this, I call upon Congress and the President to uphold
their historic and contractual obligation by reauthorizing the
tribally proposed Indian Health Care Improvement Act during this
session of Congress. This legislation is no less than the framework
for the Indian healthcare system. It will bring our outdated and
inadequate system into the 21st Century — addressing mental health,
substance abuse and youth suicide, and support for attracting and
retaining qualified healthcare professionals.
Basic things such as in-home healthcare are becoming commonplace. But
they are not yet a common part of the system of Indian healthcare.
They ought to be.
Number 3: Education and the Economy.
The third Great Step is education and the economy: As it now exists,
the Indian education system is inadequate to meet our children's
needs. This in turn drags down our economy, whose infrastructure
already lags behind the rest of the country.
Education, the skills and abilities that our children learn in
school, is the foundation of the economy. And the Indian education
system is lacking.
Only half of Indian students complete high school. Only 13 percent of
American Indians hold bachelors or graduate degrees, less than half
the national average. We know from academic studies that Indian
children flourish when their classroom experiences are built on our
tradition, language and our culture. The No Child Left Behind Act
allows for this kind of education, but the resources to actually make
it possible have yet to be appropriated.
The remedy, of course, is to fully fund this part of the No Child
Left Behind Act. I am confident that this culture-centered approach
will work because I have seen it work. In 1994, the Alaska Rural
Systemic Initiative began connecting students with elders in the
community; and creating a passion for learning by showing students
how to explore science and history in light of their cultural
heritage. It worked. Over a 10-year period, student performance went
up. Test scores improved and dropout rates declined.
And this didn't require blue-ribbon panels or years of research. It
helped as soon as it was begun: turning the unique position of the
Indian Nations into an asset by making Indian children proud of where
they come from.
I call on Congress to appropriate the funds to complete, what is for
Indian Country, a part of the No Child Left Behind Act that we cannot
afford to miss. Education is a pillar of the economy. Another pillar
of the economy is government. Just as state and municipal governments
are obligated to provide vital services and promote growth, so are
tribal governments.
Though federal spending for Indians has lost ground compared with
spending for the U.S. population at large, tribal self-governance has
proved that federal investment in tribes pays off. Between 1990 and
2000, income rose by a third and the poverty rate declined by 7
percent. And a Harvard study shows that these gains occur with or
without gaming. Tribal governments have worked hard to put laws in
place that promote economic activity and Indian reservations are the
next great opportunity for the American economy.
But this is only a beginning. Real per-capita income of Indians
living on reservations is still less than half of the national
average. Unemployment is still double what it is for the rest of the
country. And the poorest counties in the United States are on tribal
lands. So we still have yet to join the success of the rest of the
nation.
Because of our often-remote location relative to superior
professional services, it is crucial for us to join the
telecommunications revolution of distance learning, telemedicine,
public safety, e-commerce, and electronic government. Not enough
Indians have access.
Housing conditions for many Indians have reached the crisis point.
Four in ten Indians are under-housed. To avoid going homeless, many
are forced to crowd several families into a single-family structure.
I've seen up to eighteen people stuffed into a three-bedroom house.
More than one in eight Indians lack access to safe drinking water.
More than one in twelve lack access to basic sanitation. This is
humiliating, degrading, and medically unconscionable. It is wrong,
and it has to be brought to an end. We are sovereign, independent,
self-sustaining nations. But as I have noted before, our mandated
relationship with the United States Government puts us in a
precarious position.
Our success is dependent to a large extent on the Governments'
respect for tribal rights to self-determination and self-sufficiency.
NCAI's fiscal year 2007 Indian Country Budget Request outlines some
visions tribes have for meaningful federal investment in Indian
Country.
The success of Indian Country in self-governing and managing their
resources warrant continued federal investment in tribal self-
determination. And this does work. Native Americans are becoming
homeowners at an increasing rate, 39 percent more from 1997 to 2001.
Last year, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
assist tribes in the development of energy.
I am grateful to the President for this support—because it supports
our cultural commitment to natural environmental harmony, and our
belief that we must be caretakers of the land we cherish. We look
forward to working with the Administration on the implementation of
the law in the same spirit.
Number four: The Trust Settlement.
The fourth and final Step is the trust settlement: The fact that the
Cobell litigation remains unsettled impedes our progress with the
federal government on nearly all other issues. This litigation has
dragged on for ten years and recent decisions indicate that it will
be delayed many more years, with diminishing chances of a favorable
outcome. This litigation is diverting money from other needs and
creating an environment in the Administration that makes it hard to
move on to other issues.
The solution is straightforward: let's settle Cobell fairly and
quickly, and then let's move ahead. We want Congress to deal with
this in good faith and then allow us all to put it behind us.
Whatever the settlement turns out to be, the ongoing years of delay
will cost millions in lost opportunity. Let's move on.
As Indians, our lives are defined by our history and our rich
cultures. We believe in elevating virtue to a way of life. We believe
in family, tradition, and self-determination. Our tribes exist as
nations with sovereign and independent governments. And we are keenly
aware of the challenges we face in providing for our people.
I believe the way to meet those challenges is through these Four
Great Steps: Public Safety; Healthcare; our economy and
infrastructure and the education of our young people. And finally,
the speedy achievement of a reasonable trust settlement.
The state of the Indian Nations is strong. This is a plan for making
it stronger. And I am confident that this will happen. Most of you
here know that from where we are today, it is only a few blocks to
the newest memorial on the Mall, the National Museum of the American
Indian. The exhibits inside tell our story. But the museum's presence
on the Mall itself, in the last unoccupied ground before the Capitol,
shows the world the unbreakable bond between the Indian Nations and
the United States of America.
Our fates are bound together. This is where we belong. Just as the
Four Directions show a way to live, these Four Great Steps show a way
to grow. I look forward to seeing this progress for the benefit of us
all.
Thank you.