Indian country; Future for the reservation Indian

This is Indian country. I recorded educational radio presentation produced by the University of Denver under a grant from the educational television and radio Savard. In cooperation with the National Association of educational broadcasting. This is a story told by Indians in their own words by those who know India as well. A story of the American Indian and a modern world which has surrounded him and changed his ancient way of life. A story brought to you by a tape recording made largely on Navajo and Sioux reservations at Target. Why just by our going to get a break. Dr. Ruth M. Underhill professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Denver author and internationally respected authority on her favorite subject the American Indian reservations today and humans are wondering about the future. And here it is Dr. Ruth Underhill as she talks with some of them.

We've now been through a lot of changes hopes and fears onto reservations. The Sioux and the Navajo with a glimpse now and then more experience pueblos who had lived with whites. It's time to hear what other plans for help on the reservations both by government and by Indians. These plans involve new efforts by the government and a great deal of cooperation from the Indians themselves. Indian self to time a nation must increase and the red men must take and be given more responsibility for their problems. In the beginning perhaps we ought to be clear about the Indian state as with the government at present. Many people still seem to think that Indians are confined to reservations where they are supported by the government but are not citizens and cannot vote. All this is untrue. All Indians are citizens and can vote. The reservations are simply land held by the government. For Indian news any member of the tribe may live on its reservation without paying real estate tax.

Though he does pay income tax sales tax and so forth. The government supplies the reservations with schools hospitals roads and technical advisors. There's a staff to administer all this business just as the same work outside is administered by county or state on the reservation and in support themselves usually by farming or cattle ranching. They have a right to also show Security payments such as those for the age dependent children or the blood. Within a reservation a tribal portion of a tribe that lives there is generally incorporated by law as the white man's villages are. They take care of minor offenses they have their own courts. They receive money from government loans or oil leases and so forth and decide how it should be spent. Generally the secretary of interior has had to approve their plans since Indians have very little experience in business dealings governing councils are elected by Indians are of all kinds and all degrees of experience.

I'll introduce you to a very sophisticated and independent one that is the old poor bloke council with representatives from 19 smaller councils held in the little villages along the Rio Grande. Joe Herrera its secretary is this bloke. Yes I mean they're so terribly awkward. Well tell us just a little. What is that conditional and what does it do for the whether people like Council is composed and I respect if councils are accessed with a purpose. Therefore on each problem sent a delegation to the council meeting which is Howard traditionally held in Santa Domingo and is composed over 9000 problems. It's something like a League of Nations. That's right that's right. And it deals with government officials. Yes. Now do those people in general elections.

Well they have one vote from each prop. That means those 9000 votes in the public council. But how about you know our national elections for president. Well our So far not too many have taken advantage of the franchise. All except one I'm proud to say of a coach has taken advantage of the franchise 100 percent I suppose a good many people older people who don't speak English and don't read papers and perhaps don't know the issues. That's right and so therefore it is a pretty touchy thing for younger men and women to try to go and say wow this is the way it should be. I think there is another approach where both sides can more or less look into the problem together and exchange an idea so that it doesn't hurt either of the parties and then you try to get that translation over to them.

Next we'll take the pinewood Sue who had such a long history of government as the pueblos they used to live in guerrilla bands and when a leader was unpopular they simply deserted him. Now with the council elected for a definite turn this do plenty of minority grumbling Mr ion cloud successful rancher and vice chairman described the system. Now tell us how the members of the council are elected and how you determine No the vice chairman get a job. In the early part of spring in January early part that year why they began I can't painting like yeah I have posted and yes my speeches go all around the rose reservation. Campaign to the people and the destruction and then they have a primary election and our men and women. Yes and it's a secret ballot. Yes they have a booth where is the presidential election.

Yes we know that some of the criticism you know Cummings is a part Sioux who has lived with whites and got used to the idea that all individuals should be treated equally. But he feels the council will never go in against a member of the tribe even though that members in the wrong here is his own experience. While I was in charge district I had. To climb much that I reported that I thought it was very serious serious reprimand because in fact they violated church regulations and reporting the thing and I reported the case details. And can't you just let it slide on paying attention to them. Funny. I guess they hadn't foreclosed on to get one. Sure lack of action by the council to exercise it starting when they are empowered to do that and they didn't get your education.

Pretty personally interesting. Well I just say. And if it's a natural instinct and one hates to refuse Yeah CDM interim head. That's the result. Ask a bear on a thought the council granted loans only to their friends and he had a long complaint about it. It's a complaint familiar to any white man in politics. The Navajo Council is the youngest of them all because the quota while the Navajos was suspicious of the government and refused to organize and deal with government. Now that is all past the Navajos the largest tribe in the country had the largest Council and one with important matters to decide. The white superintendent told me about it. There's been a tremendous growth of them ability to use the political organisation on the reservation. Now we find a highly organized political situation where elections being run by the Navajo people in the south. The ballots are

interesting and I think perhaps the whites might well take a leaf out of the Navajo ballot. Each person running for office has his picture on the ballot and campaign absolutely just the same as we find for people who are seeking county office or state office or federal office. Why are police and trading between the candidates that just as happened in Politico. I think that the Navajo people are. Beginning to learn all the tricks of the trade. Maurice McCabe the secretary treasurer of the council admitted there were two ways of thinking among the Navajos although they do not have political labels. There are he said to crane through the traditional way and is the grazing economy

will generally throw support to one of their own kind while on the other hand the more progressive young people and the educated people will grow support to an educated man for office and the chairman of the new interim council. Read Winnie. An old conservative said much the same thing but in a less polite terms he thought that the federal government dominated the Navajo Council is there now. Do they play politics with their own people promise a lot and then not do it after the way other people keep their promise. Do you have two parties in the council. Our whole lot of parties it seems like a family like the white people the cross white people have a Republican and Democrat.

We were right about the same we don't have a name for those two party. What are they really have for the go ahead from the State heard something like this. From work for the plan or a program and some work against it seemed like it Democrats in the public eye as Maurice McCabe about the councilman's pay people have salaries. Yes ma'am I understand there are more than that. Well they sometimes are referred to as the high powered staff of the Navajo tribal offices but we feel that in order to do a good job then it is good. To hire the best available technician in his particular field the tribe can afford such salaries because their income from oil leases and such Last year was something like 20 million. As I mentioned

before this money is not spent without approval of the secretary of interior. Perhaps that's a wise provision in due the way Indians have been cheated in the past. McCabe had no objection when he showed me the mimeograph budget as large as a book. He remarked that not one item in it had ever been criticized by Washington. You hear him speak now he sounds entirely contented on that point varies but with committees working with their various divisions. We definitely have a voice in working out working out programs and policies to be fair. For these purposes in dealing with our naval people MISS SPAULDING the white superintendent in fact there has never been such a love feast between the government and the Navajo since the reservation was set up.

There is no difference between a government office and a tribe tribal office. We're all here in one huge building together. We're in and out of each other's office day by day and consultations take place. We might ask now what is some of the points on which this agreement has taken place. Well the budget Mr. McCabe showed me included appropriations for whales and other land improvements for welfare and for higher education. The kid said I could go on and I'd like to state at this time that we have appropriated in the neighborhood of three million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to finance self-help programs on the reservation from tribal on the next three years the never trying scholarship fund will have financed. And least 50 graduates

yearly there after training to help to come back to the reservation to render service to the Navajo people. I mean it really isn't a book that you are now employing non-Indian for the job that you need to write and then you're preparing that in your own job. But you don't get them when they might have trouble handling this thing right. I know of no other tribe which has taken such a sensible attitude about their own like a business experience. I express my approval to Mr. hand the white man who is paid by the tribe as a business advisor. Sounds as though the tribe certainly had its feet on the ground realizing that it can't manage these projects and yet the projects are highly desirable and doing the next best thing toward getting them established to work do you feel that they've made very great progress in the time you've been here.

Well Doctor I know I've been here two years. Charlie I know and I don't think any other than extensionally a minister of a program in a time before in the history of the United States. That doesn't nearly cover everything the Navajo Council is doing. Now let us go on to the general organization of red men in the United States the National Congress of American Indians. I asked for information on that from Bob Bennett who is one of its offices the National Congress of American Indians was organized about 10 years ago in Denver Colorado. The purpose of it was to provide people with a means by which they could make their wishes and desires known to the various government departments and states and particularly to the Congress of the United States. They have representatives in Washington haven't but if they had it with the Congress they have a representative in Washington they maintain an office in Washington which is available for all union

delegations will go to Washington and through this office they are able to make contacts with various congressional committees with various members of Congress and also with representatives of the various government departments. Well that's pretty up to date. They found out how you get things in this particular democracy. I wondered how Indians could put their various problems to white men whose ideas still come from Hiawatha or the movies. So I asked what about the white Fishel is that your Congress has to deal with. Do you find they understand the Indian problem at all. No I don't believe that they really understand what the basic problem is they. They certainly don't go back to these cultural aspects which we have just discussed and their basic problem is one of adjustment from one culture to another. Not everybody in the end ought to be like them and they don't know how to make it so that's that the Congress has already achieved some very worthwhile results. Bob went on to tell

about one of them. One of the things the Congress was successful in doing and that was getting passage of the Union Claims Act which provides that all the. Claims of a government carving and tribes against a government for failure to keep treaties would be considered by the union claims Commission and it is from the funds which are to be derived from these claims as well as from federal funds that they hope to put this point for program into effect. This settling of claims which often means a payment of many millions of dollars should go a long way toward relieving the white man's conscience about his treatment of the Indian. Some tribes claim and often justly that they were not given all the land promised in a treaty that the land was paid for it too low a price or sometimes not paid for at all. Often this is true. The Indians present their case through a lawyer and sometimes anthropologists and local people help them. The

government also employs a lawyer because it is true that sometimes Indians claim land which ought to go to another drive or which they visited very seldom. The suits will go on for some time. There's something like 800 claims have been filed. When all these have been heard and settled the government will have gone far toward clearing its conscience toward the red man. Now Bob mention another point did of the Indians hearts. That's what they've been calling to point for program. It means money and technical assistance to Indians. Along the same lines that those things have been given to foreign people. So I asked Bob. Well now do go on and tell us what the point of our program is. What do Indians want but their reservations. Well I think most of the unions are asking for the same things that they've asked for a number of years such as better housing and economic opportunity and social development. Every citizen ought to be in sympathy with such desires and with a point 4 program which Bennett spoke of

both Republicans and Democrats in fact put planks in their platforms in 1956 which conveyed general approval of the idea though no bill is yet been passed. The commissioner of Indian affairs however has stated some very definite plans in these terms in order to promote the full development of the Indian. Who does ours to have a better way of life. We have a three point program. First there's improvement of health conditions and second is adequate education and third as economic and social development of these people. We do know that impact all the rationalisation areas of the country the Indian population has outgrown the land resource. It's

absolutely impossible for all to make a living off other Trust land. We walked all empty on the last to be developed. To support the maximum number of people on a decent plane of love and the next question is who should have charge of the wick. And here we meet plenty of argument. A law already passed by Congress allows the government to withdraw from its trusteeship of any reservation. When the Indian seemed ready for it. This is the famous terminations about which so much has already been said and printed. It means that the Indians would be real owners of the land with no guardian to plan for them and oversee expenditure so they could incorporate and handle the land themselves or they could employ a financial guide in the states where they live. Would it in to schools hospitals and roads just as they do for whites in that Indians would be exactly like other citizens and they would

pay taxes. Plenty of Indians and their white friends to feel that they're not ready for this and some reservations like the Navajo. There are many who don't speak English and have no understanding of money dealings. So they feel that somehow they'll be cheated out of a new property. Frank Mitchell an old Navajo tried to voice the feeling the speaker you hear is usually interpreted with some Navajo rebels in the background and people find the materials and the reservation for instance on gas and you know cars are ours. You know back to times we forget about the people and the existence on the nomination and it comes right through it. We want to grant that. I see how you feel but is there any proof of that

underground that they do you know she does. Not have that in there. When you know that the government wants to step aside. They thought I'd be given a chance to know where to go and I'm going to fight them and then not because he said oh it's not that happened of course so I can't say it would be for the end it would be for the Indians to sell themselves. Now is he afraid the Indians would sell. Well we just we were afraid that the government is going to say before we're practically ready to take on I want to

see how you feel. Frank's chief of the Grad the white man though it seems to me also is the Indian who would sell to the white man read Winnie another Navajo simply fears that the Indian couldn't handle his own this is. I had asked him whether the government was now helping to manage tribal business the government helping you. Yeah state you have to try to take it over them. They try to think that they can handle that all about my opinion why I don't think they can go it. But I think government can take care better than our staff. Well what is the council doing to help people like you help not just you.

I don't know much what they go on but my own opinion is they kind of government like government you know government that makes the government turn away from us. Do you really think so. I think so that's the way I feel about it. Well do tell me what makes you think so because I governor and I have to use you own travel money to run your business. Where government used to spend money well but it was undeniable money now haven't you. Oh yeah well why not spend. Well if they give it to the people. And that but not like well if you don't want a windmill out here or someplace where they

want to government tell us why we spent your money and the other tribe why they get their money they get an a check every month but we don't we doesn't know much about politics but he does know that the government is asking the Navajos to spend some of their own. Well he is they won't know how to do it. Peter Cummings the Sioux. Well Sophy is that Indians are not ready to run their own affairs. They're beginning to let the responsibility of the end and they be used and with no clear understanding of what his future was going to be. And he'd immediately took steps to want to say this but was that a centrist and getting to him. When the automobile came what he had left that went for gasoline so I still think that any gap

was a factor. He jest lifted it up to see if Commissioner Emmons policies carried out. Indians will not have to go in into any arrangement they don't want. I felt the story about two quick terminations just as many white Americans do so I asked Mr. Ammons the commissioner directly and this is his answer. A doctor on the Hill and the president himself established the policy of consultation with the Indian people like those in 1952 in my own hometown of Gallup. He said that he would require that we had consultation with the Indian people on matters of vital importance to them. Now I might tell you and my own words. What I mean by the term consultation and my definition of full constipation has several important

and actually essential characteristics. First involves making a sincere and warmly sympathetic effort to learn just what the NBA and people have on their minds and in their hearts. Secondly it means providing them with a complete and then hampered opportunity for an expression of their appeals. Thirdly it means giving the fullest possible consideration within the limitations of law and policy not to every individual and opinion but to the current consensus and to those views which are obviously supported by a majority segment of the tribal population. Now finally in most cases where there are good and compelling reasons for not complying with the tribal requests or

recommendations that means explaining carefully and clearly just what those reasons are and why from the government standpoint they seem to be important. You've just heard Indian country and the night that a series of recorded programs featuring Dr. Ruth M. Underhill author and over the thought a day on the American Indian. Next time on Indian country the final look at the future of the modern American Indian Indian country was produced by the University of Denver. I'm Greg Grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center. This program is distributed by the National Association of educational broadcasting. There's be an IEEE B Radio Network.