Post by Okwes on Oct 2, 2006 17:51:04 GMT -5
Thinking outside the box: Shoshones rely on intellectual resources to
grow an economy By Dennis Romboy
<http://deseretnews.com/dn/staff/card/1,1228,129,00.html>
Deseret Morning News
www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650193975,00.html
<http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650193975,00.html>
Fourth in a five-part series [Image] Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning
News Bruce Parry, left, and Mike Devine stand in front of a home in the
So-So-Goi Meadows, a housing development for qualified tribal members in
Ogden. BRIGHAM CITY �" Shoshone legend suggests that Itsappe
�" Old Coyote �" disguised in a shredded juniper wig, stole
fire from a distant desert tribe and brought it north to the Bear River
Valley.
The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation today has no reason
to steal. It caught fire on its own. The tribe expects revenues this
year from its numerous business enterprises to hit $10 million.
It's a large figure for a band of 464 that only a few years ago
had nothing.
"We started out zero," said tribal leader Bruce Parry, CEO and
chairman of the board of the NWB Shoshone Economic Development Corp.
"We did not have even a penny to start."
The Northwestern Shoshone tribe, based in Brigham City, does not
have a reservation, though it owns some land and is trying to acquire
more.
With essentially no land base in Utah, the Northern Band of the
Shoshone has relied on intellectual resources and creativity to grow an
economy.
Creative economic development includes foreign language
translations for the FBI, CIA and other government agencies;
construction companies; and energy development. Tribal leaders want to
train their young people to take over these enterprises.
And the tribe has big plans for the property it is amassing,
including an industrial park, an interpretive center, a travel plaza and
a casino resort just across the border in Idaho.
One of its more ambitious projects is a mixed-use development in a
former Shoshone community 50 miles north of Brigham City called
Washakie. The town died out during the World War II era. The new
Washakie would include housing, schools, medical facilities and a
business park.
All told, the tribe's proposals exceed $340 million.
Outside the box
Lacking natural resources, the Shoshones began "asset mining," or
looking for something to capitalize on.
"What we've had to do is think out of the box," said chief
operating officer Mike Devine. "That's why we've been successful with
some of those more resourceful things."
Recognizing that Utah has many speakers of foreign languages, the
tribe settled on translation services. It secured a federal contract and
top-secret clearance to provide translation for agencies in the
Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"Sure enough," Devine said, "we struck gold."
Because of its tribal status, the Northwestern Shoshone gets
special consideration through the Small Business Administration for
federal contracts. The government reserves a percentage for historically
disadvantaged people.
The Shoshones also now own a construction company doing dozens of
government projects and an interior design firm specializing in LDS
Church temples. The tribe also is working on biodiesel and geothermal
power projects.
"We believe energy is going to be bigger than gaming ever was for
the tribe," Devine said. (The Shoshone-Bannock tribe in Idaho operates a
casino at Fort Hall.)
The business ventures don't necessarily provide jobs for
Shoshones, but Parry said that's not the tribe's focus.
"Our main interest was to create wealth as well as train young
people to take over the businesses we are operating," Parry said. Three
of his grandsons are currently studying business in college.
Half of the revenues go back into the businesses. The other half
is used for housing, health care, education and other services. The
Shoshones do not issue royalty checks to individual tribal members as
some tribes do.
Given the tribe did no economic development for 140 years, it is
not looking for short-term gratification.
"For many years we would watch the other tribes succeed," said
Patty Timbimboo-Madsen. "But (there was) never really any progress in
(our) tribe."
When the current leadership came in about four years ago, she
said, "You saw hope. I mean you saw a dream." 'Nation building'
The Northwestern Shoshone band subscribes to concepts developed by
the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.
Rather than take a quick jobs-and-income approach as many tribes
do, the Shoshones strive for long-term prosperity through "nation
building." The idea is to build an environment that encourages
investment, helps businesses last and allows investments to pay off.
"Along with sovereignty, it is the key to economic development,"
according to the Harvard Project.
The Shoshones also found that placing economic decisions in the
hands of a committee that excludes elected tribal leaders makes for a
better-managed operation.
"The tribe had the political will to set economic development
aside from tribal government. That's the key. We've really benefitted
from that separation between business and politics," Devine said.
"We've saved ourselves from ourselves."
Underlying everything the Northwestern Shoshone do economically is
the desire to preserve and enhance its culture. Their language is nearly
extinct. Fewer than 25 native speakers remain, said Timbimboo-Madsen,
tribal director of cultural and natural resources.
Becoming lost too are traditional songs and dances. Pine nuts, a
staple of the old Shoshone diet, and chokecherries aren't gathered much
anymore.
"There's lots of reasons for Native Americans to bemoan their
fate. Nobody has greater reason to complain about the circumstances
they've been placed in than the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone," said
Devine said, who is not a tribe member. Tragic legacy
The Northwestern Shoshone were victims of one of the worst
American Indian slaughters in history.
On Jan. 29, 1863, U.S. Army troops, with Mormon guides, attacked
the tribe at its winter campsite along the Bear River near present-day
Preston, Idaho. An estimated 300 men, women and children were killed.
Shoshone raids on prospectors and immigrants traveling through the
area prompted the assault. The raids, however, had been conducted by a
different Shoshone band.
"We had about as many members killed up there as we have members
today," Parry said.
The massacre remains a tender spot among Shoshones today.
"It kind of taught us not to trust the federal government," said
Parry, a former director of the state Indian affairs office. "That's
probably why we threw in with the Mormons rather than the BIA (Bureau of
Indian Affairs)."
In the 1870s, every member of the tribe, except one who was afraid
of water, was baptized into the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
In the past couple years, the tribe has acquired 33 acres at the
massacre site. It has received pledges from congressional and other
sponsors to build a $25 million visitors center, memorial park and
monument.
Timbimboo-Madsen says the young people need to know about their
ancestors. "I think with each generation you move away from that," she
said.
grow an economy By Dennis Romboy
<http://deseretnews.com/dn/staff/card/1,1228,129,00.html>
Deseret Morning News
www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650193975,00.html
<http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650193975,00.html>
Fourth in a five-part series [Image] Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning
News Bruce Parry, left, and Mike Devine stand in front of a home in the
So-So-Goi Meadows, a housing development for qualified tribal members in
Ogden. BRIGHAM CITY �" Shoshone legend suggests that Itsappe
�" Old Coyote �" disguised in a shredded juniper wig, stole
fire from a distant desert tribe and brought it north to the Bear River
Valley.
The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation today has no reason
to steal. It caught fire on its own. The tribe expects revenues this
year from its numerous business enterprises to hit $10 million.
It's a large figure for a band of 464 that only a few years ago
had nothing.
"We started out zero," said tribal leader Bruce Parry, CEO and
chairman of the board of the NWB Shoshone Economic Development Corp.
"We did not have even a penny to start."
The Northwestern Shoshone tribe, based in Brigham City, does not
have a reservation, though it owns some land and is trying to acquire
more.
With essentially no land base in Utah, the Northern Band of the
Shoshone has relied on intellectual resources and creativity to grow an
economy.
Creative economic development includes foreign language
translations for the FBI, CIA and other government agencies;
construction companies; and energy development. Tribal leaders want to
train their young people to take over these enterprises.
And the tribe has big plans for the property it is amassing,
including an industrial park, an interpretive center, a travel plaza and
a casino resort just across the border in Idaho.
One of its more ambitious projects is a mixed-use development in a
former Shoshone community 50 miles north of Brigham City called
Washakie. The town died out during the World War II era. The new
Washakie would include housing, schools, medical facilities and a
business park.
All told, the tribe's proposals exceed $340 million.
Outside the box
Lacking natural resources, the Shoshones began "asset mining," or
looking for something to capitalize on.
"What we've had to do is think out of the box," said chief
operating officer Mike Devine. "That's why we've been successful with
some of those more resourceful things."
Recognizing that Utah has many speakers of foreign languages, the
tribe settled on translation services. It secured a federal contract and
top-secret clearance to provide translation for agencies in the
Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"Sure enough," Devine said, "we struck gold."
Because of its tribal status, the Northwestern Shoshone gets
special consideration through the Small Business Administration for
federal contracts. The government reserves a percentage for historically
disadvantaged people.
The Shoshones also now own a construction company doing dozens of
government projects and an interior design firm specializing in LDS
Church temples. The tribe also is working on biodiesel and geothermal
power projects.
"We believe energy is going to be bigger than gaming ever was for
the tribe," Devine said. (The Shoshone-Bannock tribe in Idaho operates a
casino at Fort Hall.)
The business ventures don't necessarily provide jobs for
Shoshones, but Parry said that's not the tribe's focus.
"Our main interest was to create wealth as well as train young
people to take over the businesses we are operating," Parry said. Three
of his grandsons are currently studying business in college.
Half of the revenues go back into the businesses. The other half
is used for housing, health care, education and other services. The
Shoshones do not issue royalty checks to individual tribal members as
some tribes do.
Given the tribe did no economic development for 140 years, it is
not looking for short-term gratification.
"For many years we would watch the other tribes succeed," said
Patty Timbimboo-Madsen. "But (there was) never really any progress in
(our) tribe."
When the current leadership came in about four years ago, she
said, "You saw hope. I mean you saw a dream." 'Nation building'
The Northwestern Shoshone band subscribes to concepts developed by
the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.
Rather than take a quick jobs-and-income approach as many tribes
do, the Shoshones strive for long-term prosperity through "nation
building." The idea is to build an environment that encourages
investment, helps businesses last and allows investments to pay off.
"Along with sovereignty, it is the key to economic development,"
according to the Harvard Project.
The Shoshones also found that placing economic decisions in the
hands of a committee that excludes elected tribal leaders makes for a
better-managed operation.
"The tribe had the political will to set economic development
aside from tribal government. That's the key. We've really benefitted
from that separation between business and politics," Devine said.
"We've saved ourselves from ourselves."
Underlying everything the Northwestern Shoshone do economically is
the desire to preserve and enhance its culture. Their language is nearly
extinct. Fewer than 25 native speakers remain, said Timbimboo-Madsen,
tribal director of cultural and natural resources.
Becoming lost too are traditional songs and dances. Pine nuts, a
staple of the old Shoshone diet, and chokecherries aren't gathered much
anymore.
"There's lots of reasons for Native Americans to bemoan their
fate. Nobody has greater reason to complain about the circumstances
they've been placed in than the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone," said
Devine said, who is not a tribe member. Tragic legacy
The Northwestern Shoshone were victims of one of the worst
American Indian slaughters in history.
On Jan. 29, 1863, U.S. Army troops, with Mormon guides, attacked
the tribe at its winter campsite along the Bear River near present-day
Preston, Idaho. An estimated 300 men, women and children were killed.
Shoshone raids on prospectors and immigrants traveling through the
area prompted the assault. The raids, however, had been conducted by a
different Shoshone band.
"We had about as many members killed up there as we have members
today," Parry said.
The massacre remains a tender spot among Shoshones today.
"It kind of taught us not to trust the federal government," said
Parry, a former director of the state Indian affairs office. "That's
probably why we threw in with the Mormons rather than the BIA (Bureau of
Indian Affairs)."
In the 1870s, every member of the tribe, except one who was afraid
of water, was baptized into the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
In the past couple years, the tribe has acquired 33 acres at the
massacre site. It has received pledges from congressional and other
sponsors to build a $25 million visitors center, memorial park and
monument.
Timbimboo-Madsen says the young people need to know about their
ancestors. "I think with each generation you move away from that," she
said.