Local
tribal leaders attended President Obama’s White House
Tribal Nations Conference last week.
They included Pauma Tribal Chairman Chris Devers, San Pasqual
Chairman Allen Lawson and Rincon council members Steve Stallings
and Gilbert Parada.
Chairman Devers, accompanied by several tribal members, was
one of only a handful of tribal leaders that was able to speak
last week.
Tribal representatives attended the meetings, as well as the
opening of the American Indian Embassy in D.C., which symbolizes
and recognizes the tribes as sovereign nations, but also accommodates
the constant interaction tribes must have with congress on bills
to ensure they aren’t left out or are written in in ways
that they feel are harmful.
On Thursday, President Obama spoke to the conference, which
provided leaders from the 564 federally recognized tribes the
opportunity to interact directly with the President and representatives
from the highest levels of his Administration.
Each tribe was invited to send one representative to the conference.
The president delivered opening and closing remarks and participated
in an interactive discussion with tribal leaders.
They also discussed areas of economic development and natural
resources; public safety and housing; and education, health
and labor.
Administration officials who also attended were Interior Secretary
Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary
Gary Locke, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, HHS Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Education Secretary Arne
Duncan, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Deputy Attorney General
David Ogden, HUD Deputy Secretary Ronald Sims, DHS Deputy Secretary
Jane Lute, Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli, and Indian
Health Service Director Dr. Yvette Robideaux.
For the first time since settlement, tribal nations will have
a permanent home in Washington, D.C. where they can more effectively
assert their sovereign status and facilitate a much stronger
nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government,”
said NCAI President Jefferson Keel.
