WASHINGTON – The issues ranged from health and education to water rights, sacred sites and everything in between that impact Indian country; but Brian Patterson, president of the United Southern and Eastern Tribes, began his briefing to the White House Indian Affairs Executive Working Group with an assertion of tribal sovereignty.
;’Our member tribes share a strong commitment to tribal sovereignty. We work very hard to ensure that every member tribe has the freedom to exercise tribal self-governance. The federal government has been an important partner in our efforts to protect tribal sovereignty and we appreciate the individual contributions of the members of this executive working group in helping us achieve this sovereignty,” Patterson, Oneida Indian Nation of New York, told the group. (The OIN owns Four Directions Media, parent company of Indian Country Today.)
Looking to the future, Patterson said, ”We hope we can count on your continued partnership and support in our ongoing efforts to bolster tribal governmental rights. Your support against the constant threats of harmful legislation and regulatory actions regarding our sovereignty is deeply appreciated.”
As president of the nonprofit organization that represents 25 tribal nations on the East Coast, Patterson was invited to present USET’s perspective on the issues affecting Indian country and the organization’s legislative agenda to the group Feb. 27.
The White House Indian Affairs Executive Working Group includes around 40 representatives from various government departments and agencies who deal with American Indian policy.
Before introducing USET’s legislative agenda, Patterson reminded the representatives of Indian country’s unique relationship with what became the United States based on the Two Row Wampum Treaty, a 17th century agreement between representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) and the Dutch government. The treaty was recorded by the Haudenosaunee in a wampum belt consisting of two rows of purple wampum beads against a background of white beads.
Patterson’s briefing focused on the president’s budget, health care, education, economic development, housing, public safety, natural resources and the environment, gaming compacts, and cultural and heritage issues.
The federal budget is one of USET’s highest priorities to ensure adequate federal funding for the programs that provide services to tribal members, Patterson said.
”USET will be presenting a detailed analysis to Congress and the administration about the levels of funding and priorities we would like to see for our member tribes,” he said.
By coincidence, his briefing to the working group took place on the same day that the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act was passed.
”It was a historic moment after all the years without a health care act in place,” Patterson told ICT. ”Certainly USET has been very active and engaged in moving that bill forward and it touched my heart to see the commitment shown by our elders to such a piece of important legislation that will affect all of Indian country.”
But health care is a critical issue in Indian country, Patterson told the group.
”While progress has been made, overall health indicators for American Indians are dismal and unacceptable when compared to the U.S. general population. The most encouraging results are coming from tribes where self-determination and self-governance are in fullest force,” he said.
In addition to the IHCIA, USET’s Health Committee has identified as priorities a Special Diabetes Program for Indians and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The diabetes program, if enacted, would provide an extra $50 million a year ($150 million to $200 million) for the next five years.
Moving on to education, Patterson said this is another critical issue for Indian country. He expressed USET’s appreciation that the administration has pledged that the ”federal government will meet its responsibilities to Native American children.”
In the area of economic development, Patterson noted that tribal economies grew at a rate almost three times higher than the general economy between 1990 and 2000 – regardless of gaming enterprises. But the average poverty rate for American Indians remains much higher than all other races in the United States.
”There still remains much need,” Patterson said. The underlying foundation for economic development is tribal sovereignty ”so that tribes may self-regulate their economic affairs and interact with governments on a government-to-government basis. Too often, tribal governments are burdened with fighting off legislative and regulatory attempts to diminish their authority, instead of partnering with state and federal agencies for the betterment of all citizens.”
Patterson touched briefly on gaming compacts, noting that USET vigorously opposes proposed changes to Class II gaming regulations that would reduce the tribes’ profits from electronic bingo or give states a cut.
On cultural heritage, a topic Paterson described as ”near and dear to my heart,” USET is urging tighter legislation to protect sacred sites from the desecration of activities such as mining and the protection of sacred stone landscapes in the East, as well as issues concerning culturally identified remains and the distribution of feathers under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Finally, Patterson told the working group that USET has ”historically resisted efforts to bypass the Interior Department’s recognition process,” and so it opposed legislative recognition of the Lumbee Tribe.
