WASHINGTON – Confirming previous reports by Indian Country Today, President Barack Obama announced April 10 that he plans to nominate Larry EchoHawk as assistant secretary for Indian affairs with the Department of the Interior.
If confirmed by the Senate, EchoHawk will lead the BIA. The job is often viewed as rife with difficulties, since it focuses on serving the many interests of the hundreds of tribes throughout the nation, while still being part of a federal government that sometimes has divergent interests.
Obama said in a statement that he is confident EchoHawk will “meet and exceed the high standard that the American people expect and deserve.”
After Obama announced the news, EchoHawk said, “I have been instructed not to comment.” As of press time, a hearing on EchoHawk’s nomination had not yet been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
A member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, EchoHawk was the first Native American elected to a constitutional statewide office, serving as attorney general of Idaho from 1991 to 1995. He had earlier worked on behalf of various Indian tribes as a lawyer.
EchoHawk has, for some years, been a confidante of Obama’s already confirmed head of the interior, former Colorado Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar.
Salazar was quick to praise the selection.
“President Obama and I are committed to empowering American Indian people, restoring the integrity of a nation-to-nation relationship with tribes, fulfilling the United States’ trust responsibilities and working cooperatively to build stronger economies and safer Indian communities.
“Larry EchoHawk has the right leadership abilities, legislative experience and legal expertise to bring about the transformative improvements we all seek for Indian country. He is a dedicated public servant and an excellent choice for assistant secretary for Indian affairs.”
Tribal leaders also reacted positively to the development.
“We’re very happy and excited about his nomination,” said Angelo Gonzales, executive director of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in EchoHawk’s former home state of Idaho. “We think he will be a friend and confidante in Washington, D.C.”
EchoHawk already has at least one friend in the Senate as well. In a speech given at a forum hosted by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in California Jan. 24, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, hailed EchoHawk’s merits.
In addition to his legal work for tribes, EchoHawk has taught law at Brigham Young University in Utah for some years. If confirmed, he would be the first high-profile Mormon and Utahn to join the president’s team.
He has also previously served on the American Indian Services National Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, the Indian Alcoholism Counseling and Recovery House Program and the American Indian Community Resource Center Board.
When ICT first reported soon after Obama’s inauguration that EchoHawk was being vetted for the BIA leadership role, some detractors said his previous stances while working for the state of Idaho were anti-Indian gaming.
Scott Crowell, a Washington state lawyer who has represented several tribes over many years, issued an open letter noting that when EchoHawk served as Idaho’s attorney general, he called on the governor to change the language of state legislation so the state no longer would have a legal obligation under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to negotiate for Class III gaming with Idaho’s tribes.
EchoHawk soon apologized privately to several tribes, including some from Idaho, for his past actions on Indian gaming.
Several tribal leaders ended up sending Obama letters of support for EchoHawk, although some still quietly worried whether his nomination would be best for Indian country.
Gonzales noted that Alonzo Coby, chairman of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, was one of the early supporters of EchoHawk.
“We truly believe that he will have the best interests of tribes at heart,” Gonzales said, noting that EchoHawk’s two sons work in a legal capacity for the tribe.
While the loudest detractors have quieted their campaigns to derail EchoHawk’s nomination, some expect his positions on gaming to at least come up during his Senate confirmation process.
Larry EchoHawk’s brother, John EchoHawk, leads the Native American Rights Fund and served on Obama’s transition team. Several of his family members are involved in Native legal advocacy.