Warm Springs Program; General Council Meeting: Sovereignty (Part 1)

Welcome to another edition of Warm Springs on KW Warm Springs is a program that shares information about the culture history current events and people of Warm Springs. A general council meeting was held on Thursday December 19th at the agency long house in Warm Springs. On the agenda was the issue of tribal sovereignty. A draft document was handed out for tribal members to review and comment on during the meeting tribal council chairman saying Jackson began the meeting with introductions of those that help the tribes work on the drafting the sovereignty statement. We got. Our.

Number. Had he. During his. Time as a attorney he took a great interest and ended up and has read some books that are. The best quality you'll find anywhere and involve. My partner on your ideas. The other one to me here is. That it's been in. Doing any work on the gurney for many many years. He is executive director. For the Indian resort and the dude. Presently lives in Oakland California. He. Has had a lot of meetings with art

with our people. Formal meetings studies all over the country and other. Leaders from throughout the country work on their work and help. Better than. They were the ones that could gather it. After talking with what we have in this document here for your review and. Changes or whatever we're going to do. You're listening. We'll have. To have our attorney here. Somewhere. Let's say Wren

Bennett get no good Barney from Ben. We have several members of our trouble here. One. Is the chief of the one you heard him mutter to go person member of the brain. Dr. Frank. Also one of their members. Over here of the vice chairman a. Member of trouble right. Yeah no I'm not. Or the longest serving probably trouble. Send him. Back here.

Bernice Mitchell. Brenda and. I. Don't know whether we have any more here but. No. Word from Charles. Give us some background information. What is the what are we going to use it. To go right here. Thank you Zain. Pearson had mentioned I guess the reason they presented as a gift. In advance is that it is bullet proof vest. Let me first say thank you as you as always the Privy to come up here and to spend time with

the tribal council which both of us have been doing off and on for. Longer than we like to say but it's been a number of years and it's always been enjoyable. I think you'd be helpful also I think it may be of both Jim and Dennis. Maybe come up and. Maybe provide some of the background as well on this evening's. Discussion on the sovereignty statement. But I think he is saying as I pointed out before getting into the statement itself I'd like to maybe comment. On the three areas. One is to maybe just share with you. My perspective on. What I see happening nationally. Is as Aine has mentioned we've been very active over the past two years conducting forums. Tribal leaders forums all over the country and two of them have been in the Senate. So in some respects it has provided us an opportunity to really.

Develop a sensitivity that most people don't have the privilege of really developing. Secondly to just comment on. The background or provide some insights into. What. Brought this. Statement to the surface. As saying has pointed out something that we've been grappling with for almost two years so it's something that didn't just emerge overnight. And third maybe in a very general way to comment on what IP search perceived to be the purpose and benefits of doing something like this. Because I know that a lot of people get extremely frustrated in dealing with law and policy and politicians and you know politics generally. But the times are very different. And I think that anyone who monitors or tries to keep abreast of things that are happening in a

country on a local basis a regional basis or national basis it's a very different world that we live in and is going to be very different for the next generation or generations to come. But backing up to kind of a perspective on what's happening on a national basis I think it's fresh on most people's minds. What happened with the Dural situation I was really kind of an event that was triggered by the Supreme Court that really. I think showed in the country how fragile tribal sovereignty is and that if one doesn't really pay attention to what's happening in the various arenas and what I mean by that is you have the courts you have the Congress. You have state governments. You have the private sector. You have Indian country generally. And things are just happening left and

right. Because right now I mean think with the issues that that in a country of dealing with really. You know just covers the whole gamut of governmental responsibility. I had already said at the outset of my career that at that time tribal leadership had the luxury. Of doing nothing and being able to get away with it in what I mean by that is doing nothing was a choice. That in some respects no longer exists. I dont care if you dealing with child welfare matters taxation jurisdictional authority of a government economic development what have you. There are just so many laws and policies and. Actions of other governments and the private sector as well that you have to be aware of. As I mentioned during the past. Almost 22

months we have put on a number of forums all across the country and what spurred that was. The amount of activity in the Congress is just really mind boggling. Most people are aware of the fact that. At present there are probably. Close to 200 pieces of legislation that. Either. Directly or indirectly affect Indians. There are probably in the vicinity of 35 tribal specific bills dealing with everything from water settlements to. You know maybe land claims there are certain claims that tribes may have in the resource area. Then there are all the other bills that maybe entitlement bills or whatever that have an Indian component. And it is just mind boggling that. We dont do a better job or have somebody kind of monitoring things for those and communicating within a country in terms of apprising them what

is happening. And. What is triggering that to some extent is that. There have been some extremely negative Supreme Court opinions that have come down. Make sure that the early decision. Which we were successful in overruling and it's not often that anybody overruled the Supreme Court opinion. And I think in a country was able to do that. The black community for instance has. Been struggling to overrule a number of negative US civil rights opinions and have not had the success they would like to get. But it's a tremendous development and. It really came from all of it in country I don't think any one organization or any one region or anyone tried can take any more credit. Then. Or shouldn't take any more credit than. Than any other tribe or organization because it was really a collective effort. But there have been a lot of Supreme Court opinions over the past

30 years and Charles may choose to even comment on that in a context of why maybe this has to be done. I mean in terms of the tribe trying to or making the effort to. Particularly what tribal sovereignty means to them. But there are a lot of other other developments occurring all across the country. I think both within federal agencies and the Congress. And the congressional arena commented on but also the number of players when you look at the size of the Senate Select Committee next year being a political year it's hard to determine how many. Congressmen will be returning. But there's been some significant changes there already is well with Congressman Miller from California. Who is the chair of the Interior Committee and he is the person that really I think led the charge to Reid to

overturn Dural. I mean he basically said it had to be done and challenge the Senate to a go along go along with the House's initial legislation that that became the final legislation. But there are a lot of players on the on the national scene. That we need to cultivate in terms of developing a much better relationship with. Holding meetings around the country has been enjoyable to really look at the diversity within an Indian country I mean everything from the size to the varying sizes of reservations both in terms of population and land based. But I think when it comes to sovereignty or discussion of it there is. A lot of consensus as to the importance of it. And I think that any country can just kind of slip away and wait till the next crisis arises

and have to try to put out another fire so to speak. But there are just a lot of developments taking place. That I guess I don't need to bore you with anymore but it's a very interesting time. The purpose or purposes and benefits of doing. What. You have before you in terms of trying to come up with a. Written definition of what sovereignty means to bring. As far as I know there is no drive in a country that has undertaken an effort like this. To really come up with a statement that is almost like the Declaration of Independence. It's a philosophical statement as to who you are as a people. And I think you read the document and will later hear it

touches on all the areas that are of concern to you. You know be it culture the environment resources. You know traditional values what have you I think it's all packed in there and initially the document was just two pages in length and we've lengthened a little bit but not much. But I think a document such as it is critical for leadership development. I think the next generation of tribal leaders is going to be a different ball game than it is now I mean just myself coming up here the number of years I've been up here the changes that I've seen. If one is to control their own destiny they have to be determined. What kind of. External Relations are going to be put in place with the county state federal government and even any more regional. Organization be they planning or efforts to really control and manage a resource base that

the region shares. I think the need for more community education. I think a document such as this. Will really enhance that happening so people have some point of reference as to what sovereignty means and how it impacts how you. In essence control and reshape your own destiny. Internal governing. You know what you choose to do within your own boundaries I mean Warm Springs is unique on a national basis basis given natural resource endowment you have. The fact is there isn't. Much. Land ownership within the boundaries. The fact that there isn't that many allotments compared to some other reservations where the.

Land ownership patterns are very different. And I think state governments. Will continue to look at ways they can encroach on tribal sovereignty and I think we've seen that with the decisions coming out of the friend deal decision. There are tax cases that have had a real impact on all of a country. So I think it's critical that try to make the decision how elaborate. Or informal they want to be in terms of governing themselves. In make those hard choices. I mean time is very awkward to try to encourage anybody to come up with more than laws and regulations. But in some areas as I said at the outset you have very little choice in the environmental

area as an example. I mean the federal laws that are on the books. That basically tell you how the environment is going to be managed and regulated. And forced me tried. Now I have the opportunity to. Pursue primacy. What they mean just to. Pursue the control or the authority to really manage and regulate their own environment but along with that goes a lot of responsibility. So I think a document such as this. Will really help drive our reservation determine what it wants to do in these various areas. The document we as pointed out have been. For. Almost two years on this statement. You know short meeting that we had that.

Really addressed sovereignty it was in February of 1990. We were having a meeting and a number of tribal council members felt that we should slow down and try to determine what is sovereignty. If you're talking about developing the rest of the governmental infrastructure for me. And so we proceeded to. Meet with the council and meet with a lot of people in the community you know to try to hear from them what they thought sovereignty was and I think. We've done the best we can I think to to develop a document that reflects the wishes of a lot of people here in the tribal council in particular. But keep in mind it's your document. I think we have been just been technicians in terms of trying to help frame something. That

expresses it the way we hope the reservation wants to express it. And as I mentioned if. This happens I think Warm Springs will be the first reservation in the country to really do something like this. Another thing that is. Kind of underscoring the importance. Of defining tribal sovereignty. In 1993. The congress. Initiated hearings. On a national basis on tribal sovereignty. And the participants in those hearings were not just the union people. It will be state people it'll be everyone that has an interest in trying to define tribal sovereignty. So in some respects. Any reservation that takes the initiative now is to in essence.

Particularly travels our news to them and to in some respects control the debate and discussion. Center in a way. The chair of the Senate Select Committee has made this announcement that these hearings will take place. Next year being a political year. They really want to have the time or time to do anything more than. Seek re-election. But I think at the beginning of 93 year before 93 early 92 I'm sure there will be some kind of plan or schedule. To initiate this process that they. Think may take anywhere from. Three to five years to really complete. So it's not going to be something quick and dirty but I'm sure that it's going to get into everything from managing regularly and the environment. Who has that Paramount authority to to you know just a provision of social services managing or

regulating natural resources taxation or what have you so there are just a lot of areas that are going to be scrutinized by everyone and you must keep in mind that we have friends in the Congress but we have enemies in the Congress as well. So there are going to be politicians. Look at it in a way that they want to limit. Really. How they can make other in other incursions into tribal sovereignty that benefit the state. Or maybe in some respects. Limited or minimized to the federal government's responsibility. So I think you see the need for. The community to really in essence. Prepare what I would call the kind of along Policy Foundation for any reservation is critical. For the. Upcoming generations of tribal leaders.

So I hope that you you find the document useful beginning. And I'm sure that you have a compliment I will clarify at least from their perspective what it is in the process or the next steps that need to be taken to either make it a reality or say that is something you don't want. But I think I've said enough and I'd like to just turn it over to Charles and I'm sure he has some thoughts that you wanted to convey and hopefully both Jim and Dennis as well. I don't have much to add to that. Dick emphasized that. The sovereignty statement. It was something that we did some of the drafting on but the ideas came from the tribal council and from several people on the reservation that we met with during a number of visits here.

Our attempt was to make it be your voice a. Statement from the tribe that. Sets out your vision of your past and your future and Dick and I have commented several times that we had a. Real sense of just taking language and ideas from the council and several other people and putting them down on paper so in effect in a sense we were just the messengers here. And that's been very important to us and is then. A matter of great satisfaction and pleasure for us to grapple over some of these ideas as many of you know there are some. REAL historians on the council and we learned a lot during this process. The. Reason I suppose for. Adopting a declaration of sovereignty is is. The same

reason that governments throughout history have had setting out there. Basic governmental believes. You have been. An oral. Culture in society and attempted. To make statements such as this. Your statements from your heart your organic statements. Orally and not in writing. The United States of America did adopt a declaration of independence recently of the. Nations in Eastern Europe adopt declarations of sovereignty. I will tell you an interesting thing when we met at rippling river. In February. The council unanimously decided to issue a declaration of sovereignty and they chose that name. And then knew they'd be working on it. One month later. Lithuania became the

first nation and Eastern Europe to issue a declaration of sovereignty. So the idea was alive and well here even before those. Really earthshaking. Them. Many people ask what is sovereignty. Many people pretend that there isn't such a thing as tribal sovereignty. This would be a way a shorthand way. And we hope a way that comes from your heart. Of explaining what your sovereignty is in short and plain terms and hopefully in wringing terms. And that's something that may be useful to you in a number of ways whether it's. Dealing with the state or the county or or the United States or Congress or the Bureau or businesses that are coming into the reservation. Or maybe as. Several people on the council as mentioned in one

way or another a way of reaching out across the generations. And leaving something for the young people 20 30 40 years from now. That is a statement of. Your time and place of your. Sovereignty. I think at the same time. This is not. A document that you are somehow forced. In any sense by some crisis to. Have done. You have had to make difficult decisions in the past. Either we settle the case now or we go to trial. Settle on the Columbia or we're going to go to trial. Settle one of the twins or Congress will act or won't act at all. And those have been very difficult decisions. There's nothing like that pushing you here there isn't any crisis that requires you to do this if you make a mistake here. And let's say not adopting it is

a is a mistake was to say that that would be a lost opportunity there wouldn't be some specific problem that would come up and so we would never present it to you that way because you would be the first tried to do this it would be a bold act kind of a pioneering act. I think because of the prestige and importance. Of this tribe and the respect you have across the country I think other tribes will do this if you do. Maybe some will do it anyway. We had a meeting up in Seattle. Last winter in which Senator in no way read the draft of this and then proceeded to read part of it to the group as as an example of what Indian tribes in his view should be doing. And so you wouldn't be taking a leadership role in that sense if it if it seems right to you. But again there is no. Event that somehow requires you to take action here and something you can sit on and not act

on something you can reject and there wouldn't be some crisis that that would occur. What I the way I think of it. Is that when you hear a sane event and when you. Read it yourselves. It really should be the voice of your people and you should. You should know in your heart and your soul that it is the voice of your people. And if it is I think it is a safe document. And. Dennis Carr and I happened in Jenin and how we are now have been extremely helpful and in working with us in trying and the council has been helpful and made. A number of suggestions and corrections in this regard but I think we we believe it is a safe document it is not a document that is going to. Be a disadvantage for the tribe there is not going to be somehow by setting your

sovereignty out you wouldn't be waving part of your sovereign and we think that it is an extremely strong statement that would not cause you to waive part of your sovereignty it's not a dangerous statement as we see it and we. Go on to whatever ends we. Think possible in that regard. But the important thing is it has to be your statement and I think that is you hear it. It ought to be something that makes sense to use something that causes some pride in you and and is a statement of the high ideals of the Warm Springs people as a people. And if it doesn't do that sort of thing for you then that would be a reason not to proceed with it. So the. Document is pretty straightforward. It begins with. The first few paragraphs. Deal with. Your inherent sovereignty of the sovereignty. That you

exercise during the longest period of your tribal existences for. Thousands of years for millennia for more years and could be counted. And there is. An explanation that that is where your sovereignty comes from it wasn't created by a treaty it wasn't created by a constitution. It has always been there. You have always been the self-governing people. And have always exercised sovereignty. And that's the beginning point of the document. And then it discusses the treaty. Of 1855. With the watch go on the Warm Springs tribes and the United States of America and explains. That that. Seeded you transferred away as you know many millions of acres. And retained your current reservation. And retained your sovereignty and that that treaty did not eliminate your inherent sovereignty in

fact it recognized that the United States of America. Recognized you as a nation with sovereignty. So any statement then talks about the arrival of the Paiute. On the reservation. And then in 1938. The adoption of the. IRA constitution of Wheeler Howard act Constitution and which the Washoe. And the Warm Springs the two treaty tribes invited the Wasco excuse me invited the pioneers. To form a confederacy. The confederated tribes in the Warm Springs reservation of Oregon and then created a confederacy. Through which. Important parts of your sovereignty are exercised today. The sovereignty statement makes it clear. That the tribal council has

unlimited powers and that the people retain. All sovereignty except that which is granted to the council. It is very clear about the limited role of the council. The sovereignty statement then talks about your current activities. And then at the end. Says Now therefore be it declared as follows and there is a formal declaration. Of sovereignty and again it is a document in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence or other. Historic documents in which nations have declared their sovereignty and which they have set out their high ideals. Dennis or Jim do you have any comments you want to make at this point. Thank you Carol. Good evening friends. I have a couple of comments I would like to make. One I'd like to reinforce some of the comments Zain made about the

authors are the primary officers or are the people who tried to capture this and that Charles and Dick both of whom I've known for about 20 some years I believe in. And who are very prominent on the nation scene. And have done I think an excellent job of capturing what the council has told them what others have told them. And again this is only to capture what you want to say if you want to say it many times when I come here and speak to you we're faced with some crisis as Dick says and we can say that if something doesn't happen there will be a dire consequence or something does happen there will be of good consequence or whatever and you can't say this about this because none of us can define. Exactly what would happen if you didn't do this or what would happen if you do. But it's a matter of if you as a people want to put this forward if it captures what you believe and you want to say to the world now and to future generations as what you believe are the powers of your people why this was an attempt to capture it. I was going to comment on Dick and Charles

Mansion that Charles is a law professor at the University of Colorado but he used to be a law professor at the University of Oregon and I. Have known him for over 20 years and worked with him on many things. I have gone to speak with his classes at Oregon and I believe both Jim and Howie are former students of his. In the national scene among. The law professors and the scholars I believe have to be preeminent And I believe he's generally viewed that way by most the Indian people because he's well known throughout Indian country and I think has a tremendous amount of respect. It's a great pleasure to work with him. Adik also has a great prominence in the Resource Institute was mentioned but that's just a little part of what Dick has done. He's been very very instrumental in the development of tribal courts implementation of tribal sovereignty. He has that national tribal court judge's training program. He started then I believe still produces

the Indian law reporter which is a reporter for cases dealing within the law which is very important to those of us who practice law on that area because there is a core that there wasn't anything else and there still isn't. That would get us the current happenings directed right at Indian law so his. His activity. And his significance and what he has done on the national scene are very great and I know they work very hard to capture what the flavor of this statement is from what the council has said. This isn't something that somebody is coming along and say writing this for you what do you think of it is. It's very very detail the attempt to capture what you. Think what the castle has said and I know the council wants to bring this to the people and find what the people think about it. From our role as representing the tribes on a day to day basis and we've done that for a long time at our law firm I believe on Panther started representing the tribe in 55. I came there in 67. You might think I'm 78. How

in about 80 year I could be up on those dates but. On a day to day basis one thing is. As Charles mentioned that we're been concerned about and here is there anything here that could. Stand up and bite us at some future date. Is there anything about these statements that could have any adverse impact on anything you're working on and any. Problems we have later on any litigation. And we feel pretty comfortable with the fact that there is not. And that's one thing that we have done so we haven't played a great role certainly in the writing itself but our role has been more as as a kind of a guardian over things and for what we see and hear over a long period of time and. This is it is a very significant thing as they have both said we don't know if any other tribe has done it. But it would be a way to tell the world what you think about what the power of your people are. Thank you. It was Mr Dennis Carnap speaking one of the tribal attorneys talking about the issuance of the sovereignty statement coming up next on the Warm Springs

programs in Jackson tribal council chairman will read the draft statement of sovereignty This is from the general council meeting it was held on Thursday December 19th at the agency long house. OK well go ahead and do. Everything your every should be. Good document here. At the heading of. Confederate for Warm Springs Road version of Oregon. Declaration of sovereignty. Are people who actually lived in that era. Robert made them on the Columbia. Where thousands upon thousands of years since Pyle memorial. Are probably headed in the spiritual growth which are and always and comparable parts of our lives with our Creator and All.

Back to Laurie. It was going to American people occupy the lower Columbia River. A hereditary principle of acting either personally or by delegation to exercise over all aspects of life political family. So except in the military the current version of the page carried with not only the power to regulate them funny but also the duty to take action to assure that the people would have food shelter cultural and social wellbeing and protection from mob forces. Private people live further up the Columbia on the American Cemetery during Aboriginal time. They

are on record of the strikers which meant that the Navy made it Warm Springs. People were rooted in the soil there and were free of any outside. Of their own culture and religion. For a moment. One friend people followed them alive were of structural or sovereign tribal responsibilities embodied in those and. The same with them. What commandment. It's terrible it must have been close. At the time of creation in their career in this land and it gave us the voice of the that that is our law.

In 1855 and warmest friends and last entered into a treaty with the United States of America. We were not vanquished people. And this was not a truce agreement. Rather both entered into the creative process as an equal. In the Treaty of the two tribes. More than 10 million acres of land retained a reservation of more than 600000 acres as well as the extent. Of the variation right. And also Reserve reserve national sovereignty. United States assume trust duties that included a higher obligation to protect the reservation from outside forces. In 1879 and 1884 the United States states moved groups of northern to the southern part of the reservation. Before being located on the reservation in the northern part of the tradition of Rome

via Turkey. Which included parts of the Hughton river valleys and high desert to the east and south. So I wouldn't call you a long. Ways from religious or. Moral or. Legal or. Were established by custom and administered by the criminal and had an after being located on the reservation the plaintiff received a large amount of reservation and became president of the reservation. The Who created the wanderings and law school. Eventually invited to join their government. In 1938 to Warm Springs was rather than professionally formed a confederacy established a common government.

And adopted their rep and Constitution. The Constitution creator the tribal council for administrative purposes. And reserved to the people. And the years the confederated tribes and then of the 1938 Constitution and the act of a great many tribal law. The judicial. And forefront of corridors and gauged inexpensive from suppressed economic development into many agreements with the United States of America. Other in the state of Oregon. Local governments private business organizations and other entities and individuals. These and other progressive vacuums have been taken to preserve protect and strengthen our national sovereignty. The rest of along with our song prayers and long long complex generations.

Today the people of the Confederate tribes continued to assert and exercise already over the tribal reservation over other character ory within tribal jurisdiction over territory that may come under tribal jurisdiction in the future. And over the protection of our rights and our people and their wealth in all places. This complete and encompasses legislative authority such as the power to define. Individual to regulate business enterprise the zone to act to regulate the use of natural resources to protect the environment to make provisions for education health and social welfare. To practice are to reflect our right to worship according to our own religion and to follow our traditional ways and to make other laws are. Appropriate to the exercise of the full range of law making authority possessed by any nation. Can Frederick

foreign powers also include executive authority to implement travel legislation. And then for. Valid legislative and executive orders. Our sovereign authority includes the right to choose not to adopt formal written law procedures or policies governing particular object or subject. Formal can be cruel. And flexible. And we learn we have learned that some issues are best addressed by formal traditional way. Ultimate. Sardou vested in the people. Who are no. Authority in the form of law given by the Creator and by the mind itself. Are people the only woman in authority. The tribal council have reserved the rest of our national sovereignty to ourselves. Can Frederick always exercise our sacred national sovereignty in

order to achieve the highest of all goals to preserve our traditional cultural ways that ever. So many centuries in harmony with our homeland. And to provide for the well-being of our people for many centuries that. We shall as we always learn and balance work. And never use more of our precious natural resources. Than can be used to sustain forever. We shall live as we always give respect to all persons. Acknowledge the special wisdom of our elders and religious leaders nurture the bright hopes of a future that resides within our young people and accept full personal responsibility for all of our action as our basic religious teaching is that we are fully accountable to the creator for our. Day the engine spirit of the Creator is filled in all places of our own

line as it always was and always will. Our national sovereignty protects WebSphere. And water our people and our vibrant culture religion and language. Here's. The. Part where we declare what we were talking. Now therefore let it be declared as follows. We are the members of the Confederate tribes of Warm Springs reservation of Oregon. Comprised of Wasco Warm Springs and northern Europe I declare our national sovereignty. The existence of this inherent sovereignty. Absolute right good government to determine our destiny. And. Draw all. The. Resources. And activity free of all our. Home and over all our right property and people

wherever I'm old. The graphic reach of our food the whole area within the boundaries. Of our reservation Reserve by the. Worms in their 18 55 created with. This inspiring reservation located on the east flank of the Cascade Range is the spiritual place of. Birth for the strong and deep issues of my toys river forms friend River. Whitewater river and all the tributaries. Of our sacred blues roots. Very dear Elle and other plants there and have a lot of flowers hot springs and uplifting tabletop and I made them all watched over a virus. Our home complexes and. Our sovereignty extends to tribal law for the duration of. Our historic and

vast region that includes the Columbia and far beyond. These off reservation rights include rights attaching to our usual film and. The burial and other secrets which problems can gather roots and berries and pasture stock. To acquire other areas over which are now. Or may later as. Our people are the custodians of our sovereignty to revere all these things. And declare that they shall be perfect. Absolutely forever. Almost anything. That was in Jackson tribal council chairman.

You're listening to a special rebroadcast of a general council meeting held on Thursday December 19th at the agency long house on the agenda was the issue of tribal sovereignty responding first is our lead to Rome tribal member from Warm Springs. You're listening to ninety one point nine FM KW. Good evenin. Tribal councilman and Russian speakers here I guess they are attorneys big concern and our tribal members and other visitors. I think at this time I would like to make a recommendation. I am of course Warm Springs in my tribe and descendants it comes from the Columbia River and it consists of the dog. John they yack monument Hello. And I think at this time I'd recommend that we hear from our elders. The

importance of this declaration of sovereignty is very important for people because it effects us in many different ways and areas in our government with the United States. There are other Indian tribes. And most of all I'm concerned about the U.S. government. Because we have new people coming into the government at all times every four years and a lot of our representatives of the state or the Congress. Some people get to struggling with the budget of the United States and can go against some of our treaty rights like we have with the government. And so this is a very important thing where a declaration of sovereignty we're talking about tonight. And I'm not too happy with the turnout. Especially after young people and I did a lot of advertising today in explaining to the you know

how important it was for them to be here to hear this tonight. And I'm very thankful to see. The elder past tribal council men here tonight. And I'm happy to hear Mr Delbert Frank speak this morning on the radio and what he said is a good explanation of what this sovereignty is. And majority of US people don't remember the language and the teaching that came down within the past years. Even I myself was a little tiny girl at the time when I started hearing the talk about the sovereignty and they were achieved some test as the old man and I remember him coming to my father and my father was Frank. He was trying to console me. And he did a lot of elaboration in in our home about these issues. And so that's why I'm knowledgeable about a lot of things. At

my age you'd think I'd forgotten and didn't know but we couldn't talk or anything we had to listen. And that's the reason why I took in a lot. And there's a lot of good teachings in this declaration of sovereignty and one of what we need to protect I think is our religion and we do not let anything else come in and interfere with that. Otherwise your sovereignty will be messed with. Because other religions do not speak the same thing that our way of life of our Indian people from this reservation speaks according to the way it's been explained in this declaration of sovereignty. So thank you and that's all I have to say right now and I'd like to hear more from the elders than the younger generation and younger ones listening. This is important for us for the rest of our lives. We already have a woman speaks.

I wonder if he might you know paragraph here where you said so how can we go from Colombia. The people you forgot the one sucks people in the chain I know people. I'm from and I know who. Mr. Chairman I'm now on smith time. Chairman of the water control board and I. We have a lot of problems with clean water on the reservation. Is one of our most important resource we have here on the reservation with the environmental problems. Not here on the reservation but adjacent to the reservation. Now we are scheduled to have a meeting here on the 15th and 16th. And we will. Probably elaborate a little better on that.

We have a ratified code. It's one of the only ratified code by the federal government. But I've been a lot of politics with it on with you know being shoved around and everything now and I can't library Doan or you Jason problem because there's a lot of. Lot of politics up there you know. And. We and we have to waterboard to have a board here within the reservation boundaries which I'm a chairman of and we have another one that that works out fair. You know there's hundreds of laws out there state federal and what have you. So I'm not too familiar with the laws out there but we have pretty well tied down

here on the reservation. We still have a few problems with the be a likely incident they been beaten go for using strychnine and things like that which I think is strictly against the law and doing burning and things like that which are polluting our water you know water is one of the most important resource that we have on a reservation. And we pumping water out of the to suit river which I oppose very much but we was overruled on that thing by a lot of politicians. The reason or that is that because of the North you know at every gate and you know using a lot of fertilizer up there and a lot of pollution coming out of Crooked River and

the other areas above it here I used to be chairman of the land use to try to work with them but. We will but it will cement a wall. You know if you talk about government to government relationship would never did pan out. Maybe we tried this. I mean you were talking about maybe we'll accomplish something. At all I got the water right now. I have a lot more to say on the 15. Thank you. You're listening to a special broadcast of a general council meeting held on Thursday December 19th in regard to the issue of a declaration of tribal sovereignty for the Warm Springs confederated tribes. When we come back on the Warm Springs program we'll have more responses to the draft of the sovereignty issue. You're listening to ninety one point nine FM give

WSO would like to also acknowledge culture and heritage department and Wendell Jim for their assistance in recording at this General Council meeting. Stay tuned to ninety one point nine FM A.