Mary Aurelia Johns:There is a real clear distinction between the leadership of NCAI and the rest of Indian Country.
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Are we still having to deal with Keith Harper – I thought he was taken off the table and the Senate moved on to more important matters. Because a letter has been sent to the Senate from former Presidents of NCAI I thought it would be important to voice my objections to Harper being confirmed. I don’t doubt for one minute the organizations support for him and their ability to garner these individuals support. It goes with the territory. The President of NCAI has lost its once important role of true advocacy for Indian Country and now it has become a mouth piece for the Obama Administration. What I want to know are how Harper will make a stand on the Keystone Pipe Line being built across the Treaty lands of the Lakota; how it will be built under the Moreau and Cheyenne River. Both of these rivers are major water ways that dissect my reservation (Cheyenne River) and can have terrible consequences to our drinking water. The Oceti Sakowin (the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota Nation) is adamantly opposed to this pipeline being built and many of our leaders have gone on record in opposition to it. I would also like to know Harpers stand on Uranium Mining in the Black Hills area in South Dakota the pollution of Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and the Cheyenne River Reservations once more will be polluted if this is allowed to happen. Furthermore, I want to know what his stand is on Hydraulic Fracking that is going on in North Dakota – it is a well-known fact that the United States and the Rich Oil companies have agreed to sacrifice the Western Half of North Dakota for oil extraction. The Upper Main Stem Dams on the Missouri are polluted with the chemicals from the fracking which is going on Tex Hall’s reservation. They are now finding chemicals in the Oahe which is where all of the Lakota Tribes on the Western part of South Dakota get our drinking water. These are blatant violations to the Oceti Sakowin Nation’s Human Rights. The truth of the matter is this – Harper will have to toe the company line when it comes to what he can and cannot do. He’ll have to support the position of the U.S. and it hasn’t always been what is good for the Indigenous people. “Just because” isn’t “good enough”… Just because he’s an Indian isn’t good enough for me… why isn’t he making a fuss about the Cobell Payments being paid out? Why isn’t he speaking out regarding the Indian Health Service, or Indian Education, or the taking of Indian children, or any of these real issues that touch the lives of Poor Indians? All of these Presidents of NCAI with the possible exception of Joe Garcia are wealthy by Indian Country standards so what do they care about the fact that a large number of Indian people suffer from poverty. As long as they can have dinner with the President of the United States they have blinders on to the real truth of what is happening here where I’m living and working.
Response to NCAI Presidents supporting Keith Harper 5/22/2014 There is a real clear distinction between the leadership of NCAI and the rest of Indian Country. All one has to do is look at their web-site. There is terms like “tribal governance, tribal consultation, youth, economic development, etc.” these are important issue areas in Indian Country but you don’t see what the real serious issues are – issues such as: what child poverty does to the cognizance ability of small children; how does long term deep persistent poverty effect the mental health of families; what to do about meth in Indian Country and how we are losing an entire generation of young people to this insidious drug; why is there over 4000 arrests by tribal police of a population that only number over 6,000. No these issues are too negative for the pretty corporate structure NCAI has become where poverty is referred to as “…prosperity remains a distant dream.” When you’re a tribal leader and a large number of your people are living with a serious lack of basic needs; when you’re scrambling to make sure your elders and children are not freezing to death when the temperatures fall to -25 below zero; when your people are burying sometimes two and three members per week; when your store opens at 12:00 AM on the day when the EBT cards are renewed (food stamps) so your families who have gone without can buy food. This is our reality… So when I read that five former Presidents of NCAI have sent a letter pleading with the Senate to appoint one of “THEIR OWN” as Ambassador I see where there continues to be a tremendous growing gulf between tribes on what is a high priority for the leadership of NCAI and Indian Country. Yes, just like there are two Americas there is also two Indian Countries. One is where people get kicked out of the tribe so members can get more cash and the other where there is overcrowding in homes so members of our families are not left homeless. I see five leaders who represent only one side of Indian Country and it isn’t my side.
Sister, you raise VERY valid concerns & questions in your commentary. Like yourself, I am wondering what has become of the accusations brought against Mr. Harper. I have yet to hear the outcome of his accusers claims. Were they founded or unfounded? ................................................................................................................................. Those accusations were very concerning to me as a Native person. I don't care what tribal nation he came from or how much education he is said to have or what previous jobs he has had. If even ONE of those accusations were found to be true then this man does not deserve such a powerful position. ................................................................................................................................. Too many times I find that the higher the council level the more arrogant some people become. I have seen power & position destroy people who had always been good folks. What those folks ignore or forgot is that ANY talent they seem to possess or esteemed position they find themselves in is not by chance. The Creator is the vessel & origin of all things. Man Above just loans us those gifts for a short time while we are in this realm. ................................................................................................................................. Individuals who seek power are the very ones who do not need it. The people who make the best of a position of honor & power are those who are running away from the appointment! Many times they feel unworthy of those positions & do not want them at all. However, those folks take up that mantle because their people want what is best for the whole community or tribe. ................................................................................................................................. It is a great burden when on a committee or position that can have grave consequences if one fails in the tasks before them. Becoming prayerful & meditating becomes a daily need to those leaders. Always being out & about a community seeking advice, asking folks what they feel is a need for them & their families can be a full time job. ................................................................................................................................. Power is a two-edged sword that can both heal & destroy. It should be handled carefully, prayerfully & never used for ones own good, but instead, should be meeted out in small measures when needed.
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