BISMARCK, N.D. – In 1917 Francis Bull Head shot an arrow for the last time and then touched a plow to symbolize that he would become a citizen and possibly give up his tribal ways.
It was all a show, the bow and arrow and plow were props and the ceremony was staged by the government. The ceremonial picture is the opening scene of a new video produced by the United Tribes Technical College.
The voter education and turnout program is named “You Count: Native Vote 2006,” a product of the North Dakota Tribal Voters Education Project.
Teachers and students on tribal colleges throughout the state have been trained to offer workshops on voter participation and the video has been distributed throughout the state to tribal governments, tribal schools and is available for viewing on the North Dakota secretary of state’s Web site.
UTTC got involved in the voter project in 2003 with a Help Americans Vote Act grant through the state. The intent was to educate voters about revised state election laws. Now a new grant through the state helped produce the video and, in addition to education about how to vote, it is designed to promote participation among North Dakota citizens – especially American Indians.
The population of North Dakota has decreased through out migration while the population of the reservations increased, thereby giving the American Indian of North Dakota a larger voice.
The video points out that American Indian groups have been involved with their own governments for centuries. Entire communities have participated in their governments and continue to do so today. The attempts to remove traditional ways from the lives of the American Indian have failed and the participation in the community has grown over the years.
American Indians carry dual citizenship: first with their tribe and second with the United States. According to the video, dual citizenship ensures that each individual has the right to make decisions about their governments through the poling place.
As citizens it is a duty to participate in the government and vote. Given the growth of the state’s American Indian population, more have come forward to not just vote, but are found on local ballots to fill many different elected positions.
“Back in 2004, when we implemented the project, we were able to reach out to the five tribes. We followed the numbers and on the UTTC campus alone close to 100 students voters took to the polls and cast their ballot for the first time,” said Bobbi Jo Zueger, NDTVEP coordinator.
Zueger said the organization hosted workshops on reservations and were able to get poll workers within the election sites. She said Turtle Mountain had a great turnout in 2005.
“The project has been accepted within the governments and given many hurrahs on how we are presenting the project and how it is reaching out to people,” Zueger said.
Zueger said she was not aware of any other such voter turnout project in the upper Plains. According to the secretary of state, North Dakota is miles ahead in getting out the American Indian vote, Zueger said.
“We are trying to get out there and let Indian country know how important it is to vote and be part of the voting process,” Zueger said.
To view the video go to www.nd.gov/sos/electvote/voting/videos.html and scroll down to “You Count: Native Vote 2006.”
