Tribal leaders meet with president, Cabinet, congressman
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council members Carole Depoe Lankford and Joe Durglo had the ears of the nation’s highest federal officials last week and used the opportunity to talk about economic development, and interagency cooperation between the Flathead Reservation and the federal government.
Lankford received a call asking her to attend a meeting with President Barack Obama the Saturday prior to her trip. On Sunday, Lankford boarded a plane to Washington, D.C. and met with the president in the West Wing on Nov. 12 along with a dozen other Native American representatives.
“It was very enlightening,” Lankford said.
She used the president’s time to tell him about the importance of consulting tribes when drafting federal policy. She gave an example of a policy that would have resulted in the elimination of 30 wildland fire employees. The policy’s potential impact stretched farther than the 30 people without jobs, it also impacted the overall economic health of CSKT, because the tribe relies on timber as a source of revenue.
“I also let the president know we were in the process of purchasing back Kerr Dam,” Lankford said.
The meeting, which included time with the Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, is the second time Lankford has talked with the nation’s highest authority figure. She spoke with George W. Bush during his presidency also, to talk about drug issues on reservations.
Of the two leaders, Lankford said Obama was much more receptive to tribal issues. He signed the Violence Against Women Act that gives tribal authorities the right to prosecute non-tribal perpetrators of domestic violence. His administration was also instrumental in the Cobell and Salazar settlements.
“I thanked him for the settlements,” Lankford said. “I feel like Obama has done so much for Indian tribes. I feel like he’s done so much more than Bush.”
Lankford said she was still grinning from ear to ear on Wednesday, as she walked down the streets of the nation’s capital before her flight home.
Nearby, fellow Tribal Councilman Joe Durglo was preparing to meet with members of the president’s Cabinet. Durglo was unavailable for comment.
Durglo and Lankford were two of many Native Americans in the Capitol last week for the White House Tribal Conference held by the Secretary of the Interior. The White House Council on Native American Affairs joined in the meetings. The conference coincides with Native American Heritage Month and precedes Native American Heritage day on Nov. 29.
President Obama issued a presidential proclamation in recognition of the events.
“From Alaskan mountain peaks to the Argentinian pampas to the rocky shores of Newfoundland, Native Americans were the first to carve out cities, domesticate crops, and establish great civilizations,” Obama said. “When the Framers gathered to write the United States Constitution, they drew inspiration from the Iroquois Confederacy, and in the centuries since, American Indians and Alaska Natives from hundreds of tribes have shaped our national life. During Native American Heritage Month, we honor their vibrant cultures and strengthen the government-to-government relationship between the United States and each tribal nation.”
Vance Home Gun, of Arlee, was recognized on Nov. 14 in a speech on the House Floor by Rep. Steve Daines, after the two met at the conference. According to a press release Home Gun was named a 2013 Center for Native American Youth “Champion for Change” because of his work to preserve the Salish language. Home Gun teaches Salish to area schoolchildren.
“I commend Vance for his commitment to preserving and increasing awareness of an important part of his tribe’s culture and history, and I congratulate him on this well-deserved award,” Daines said. “Vance Home Gun, well done.”
