Dec 4
It is important to understand that tribes were not given sovereignty; rather sovereignty of tribes was and is inherent and is legally recognized initially through treaties and was later limited by laws and court rulings.
Dec 3
In keeping with the holiday spirit, we’re sharing our favorite Native American non-profits on this #GivingTuesday. These are organizations that we know very well and not only work with, but fully support their mission of service to Indian Country. The organizations include the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums; the Phoenix Indian Center; and, Native Public Media. We hope you’ll consider supporting them too.
Dec 2
Chukma! As the end of the year approaches, we at Homahota Consulting would like to say “yakoke hotfoot chiapelachi” or thank you for your support (Chickasaw Language). This year has been one of tremendous growth. We have been honored to work with a number of local, regional and national tribes and organizations. We worked with an Arizona Native Nation on a tribal business project, helped several Native non-profits leverage their grants funds to improve their communities, we spoke to national audiences raising awareness about the importance of digital inclusion for Tribal communities and Native Nations, and have launched an extensive email and social media campaign to improve our communication with you. We know that more communities need a stronger voice so we are challenging ourselves to keep going and we look forward to many new projects in 2014.
Nov 11
Despite the government shutdown, October was a very busy month! The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) held their 70th annual convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the National Center for American Indian Economic Development (NCAIED) held their regional meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. Additionally, the minute the federal government opened back up for business, agencies scrambled to start the new fiscal year and to hold consultation meetings with tribes. Finally, preparation began for the White House Tribal Nations Summit held in November.
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Oct 10
With so much happening in Washington D.C. in the past 30 days, this policy update is focusing directly on these issues. The information contained in this month’s policy update is via the National Congress of American Indians; they are on the front lines representing tribes and tribal interests in Washington D.C. Please note, some of the website links may not work; they are not broken, but the Federal government is shutting down some sites during the government shutdown. More information here. On an October 1, 2013, NCAI issued a statement urging congress to reach a long-term budget deal that meets the nation’s obligations to tribal nations.
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Jul 16
Wow! What a month of events policy-wise in Indian Country. Maybe I should say what a week, because most of it happened during the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid-Year Conference.
Jun 19
Sequestration:
Sequestration continues to be a topic in the news and Indian Country and the news isn’t good. Trying to make sense of the changes and then seeing the severity of the effects is frankly overwhelming. So far, health care and education in Indian Country are reeling from the cuts and the stories are starting to mount. In the words of Mark Trahant, “Indian Country funds are shackled to the sequester.” And according to his analysis, this situation likely won’t change until after the next election, despite all the stories.
May 17
Sequestration:
As we know, sequestration is impacting the federal budget and its effects on Tribal lands continues to be a topic in Washington DC. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Indian Country leaders met in Washington DC during the week of April 22nd to facilitate a dialogue with the federal government about trust responsibilities. In support of this, NCAI released a paper “Honoring the Promises to Tribal Nations in the Federal Budget.” This paper demonstrates the severity of the impacts of sequestration.
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Apr 8
Last month we were celebrating the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. This month we’re seeing a clearer picture of implementation of the act. This legislation is historic, as the act recognizes tribal court jurisdiction (for a good overview read here andhere). However, Alaska Native communities are specifically excluded from VAWA because the provisions provide for tribal court jurisdiction on reservations only and only 1 of the 229 federally recognized tribes in Alaska has a reservation (Metlakatla). This means that Alaska Natives are subject to State jurisdiction. There is quite an argument happening right now about what this means. It remains to be seen how this will work out.
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Mar 11
This week, on March 5th and 6th, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) hosts the Tribal Nations Legislative Summit and 113th Congress Executive Council. Items on the agenda include leadership discussions with Senators and Congresspersons and updates from The President’s Office, Federal Agencies, and the Senate Committee On Indian Affairs. Confirmed speakers include: Senator Tom Udall (NM), Congressman Tom Cole (OK), Congressman Denny Heck (WA), Senator Jon Tester (MT), Congressman Ben Ray Lujan (NM), Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN), Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK), Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI), Congressman Darrell Issa (CA), Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ) and Senator Mark Begich (AK).
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