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Posts from the ‘Policy’ Category

Jul 19

175 Years Later: Documenting the Historic Buildings of the Trail of Tears

Excellent historical documentation od the Trail of Tears.

Southern Rambles

By Amy Kostine, Trail of Tears Project Historian, Center for Historic Preservation

1.This segment of the Bell Route of the Trail of Tears, located in Village Creek State Park in Arkansas, was once part of the old Memphis to Little Rock Road. This segment of the Bell Route of the Trail of Tears, located in Village Creek State Park in Arkansas, was once part of the old Memphis to Little Rock Road.

It has been 175 years since more than 15,000 Cherokee were forced from their homes to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) on the Trail of Tears. Have you ever thought about the roads the Cherokee took or the buildings they passed by and asked yourself how much of this historic landscape still exists? With the hope of answering that question, the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP) is partnering with the National Trails Intermountain Region of the National Park Service to conduct a nine-state survey to identify and document historic buildings associated with the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Over the last year, we have been out on the…

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May 20

Net Neutrality, Indian Country and the Digital Divide

One of the biggest stories in the news last week was Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as “Open Internet;” although they make no mention of platforms or services. The FCC does not currently have jurisdiction to regulate the internet; hard to believe isn’t it?

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Mar 7

NCAI to Host the 2014 Tribal Nations Legislative Summit & Excecutive Winter Council

Next week, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is hosting the 2014 Annual Tribal Nations Legislative Summit and 113th Congress Executive Council. Aimed at connecting Tribal leadership with governmental leadership the event is scheduled for March 11-13, 2014 with most events taking place in the Westin Washington City Center, Washington, DC.

In advance of this meeting, Jodi Gillette, the Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council, released in a blog post both the Synopsis for the the 2013 Tribal Nations Conference and the 2013 White House Tribal nations Conference Progress Report.

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Feb 17

Dr. Traci Morris Presents Data Findings on Tribal Digital Inclusion from Forthcoming ATALM Study at Tribal Telecom Conference

Homahota Consulting’s Traci Morris, also an Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Advisory Council member, spoke on February 10th, 2014 at the Tribal Telecom 2014 Conference.  As a co-author of the forthcoming Digital Inclusion in Indian Country: A National Study on the Role of Tribal Libraries, along with Miriam Jorgensen, Research Director for the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona. Morris presented preliminary data from the Study regarding the state of the digital divide in Indian Country to be released later this spring.

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Feb 13

February 2014 Tribal Policy Update

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) recently released the fiscal year 2015 Indian Country Budget Request.  This document is compiled in collaboration with tribal leaders, Native organizations, and Tribal budget consultation bodies and is intended to guide the Congress for use in the appropriations process for Indian Country.

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Jan 31

Proud to Be

Chances are, you’ll be watching the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII this weekend and chances are, you’re excited to see the big-time advertisements too.  As we know, companies go all out for this broadcast and there are often some memorable commercials.  Well, we think you’ll be moved by the ad that National Congress of American Indians has just released.  In fact, word on the street is that it isn’t just a piggyback ad, but that it will actually be aired during the Super Bowl.  It’s titled Proud to Be.

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Jan 24

Information on Attending or Watching the Stream of the 2014 State Of Indian Nations

Every year, just after the President of the United States gives the State of the Union address, the President of the National Congress of American Indians gives the State of Indian Nations address. This is where NCAI presents the goals of tribal leaders, opportunities to advance Indian country issues, and policy priorities for the year.
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Jan 14

UPDATED: Telecommunications Act Rewrite Update: House Energy and Commerce Committee Releases White Paper on Modernizing the Communications Act

Late last year, we told you about the House Energy and Commerce Committee beginning the process of what they called a multi-year effort to rewrite and modernize the Telecommunications Act of 1996; which, in and of itself, is a rewrite of the Communications Act of 1934.

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Dec 10

Old Telephone

Tribal Telecommunications and the Rewrite of the Communications Act

Tribal reservations are among the most underserved and unserved areas in the country in terms of connectivity, with only 10% broadband penetration, nearly 30% not having access to plain old phone telephone services, many without access to 991 service, and where market forces do not encourage investment; this is where regulatory creativity is a must. As Congress begins the process of rewriting the Communications act of 1934, they must consider the needs of Tribal nations and Indian Country.

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Dec 4

Tribal Sovereignty Definition

Tribal Sovereignty | An Explanation and Some Resources

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.

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