Young leaders strive for better reservati
RESERVATION from Page 7
Provost said a single idea for even the
smallest improvement on the reserva
tions may require the approval of about
eight different agencies including the tribal
council, the BIA, the stale government, the
Indian Health Service, the town board and the
tribal court.
Since President Ronald Reagan has been in
office, Kitio and Blackhawk agree, the federal
money for development and social programs
has been tight. Workers at the BIA were not
able to determine how much money has been
cut.
Because of the lack of financing, programs
for economic growth have been limited.
Unemployment on the three reservations
averages about 64 percent, according to statis
tics from the Nebraska Indian Commission.
I he per capita income averages $2,779.
According to the same report, some of the
obstacles facing employment are: alcoholism,
lack of education, communication barriers and
lack of understanding of Indian culture and
prejudice.
Despite the barriers, however, people like
Kitto, Blackhawk and Reuben Snake,
head of the Winnebago tribal council for
11 years, said they are optimistic about the jobs
that have been provided and about recent
achievements.
Snake, who remains on the tribal council and
is economic development director for the Sev
enth Generation Fund, said since the Indian
people have been in control of their own pro
grams and money — instead of the federal
government — things have been better.
“When we gain control we do what we need
to do, when the government gains control they
do what they want us to do. Snake said.
“Indians arc always interpretedas inhibiting
r- 111
growth in communities,” Snake said, “but they
don’t talk about who was in control.”
Snake said many times people not living on
reservations and the media focus on the prob
lems on reservations, but very few talk about
the achievements.
For example, Snake said, “We are educating
out people to a much greater degree than when
Blackhawk said of the about 1,300 people
on the Winnebago reservation, most of
the people employed earn money from
the tribal offices; Winn-A-Bingo, a gaming
facility in Iowa; the Company A Service Sta
tion Center on the reservation’s main street;
and a local grocery store. Winn-A-Bingo does
over $2 million each year in business, he said.
“ When we gain control we do what we need to do, when
the government gains control they do what they want us
to do”
— Snake
the government was in control.”
In 1980, Snake said the Winnebagos de
signed a plan to become self-sufficient in
20 years. “In 1980 we had nothing,”
Snake said. After nine years of working toward
their goal, the Winnebago “rolled over” about
$50 million in sales last year.
People on the Santee reservation arc devel
oping similar plans for development in order to
utilize their land, abundant water supply and
timber.
Kitto said that ol the 650 people living on the
Santee reservation, about 85 people arc em
ployed by the tribe and the school. Becton
Dickinson Pharmaceutical, a plant with non
Indian ownership, prepares needles and syr
inges lor medical use and employs 25 Santee
residents. About 15 additional people arc
employed through housing projects, local busi
nesses, a small beef cattle ranch and a hay
cubing plant that processes alfalfa.
Snake said Winn-A-Bingo is a good ex
ample of how sometimes government interven
tion makes economic growth difficult. A gam
ing regulatory act passed recently by Congress
will cut bingo profits in half because state and
federal governments will now be able to license
some gaming facilities. When tribes license
gaming facilities they will no doubt have to pay
the government a percentage of their profits,
Provost said.
Congress also passed amendments to tax
laws that make it difficult for reservations to
roll over large sums of money without heavy
tax burdens, Snake said.
“We get the constant message to become a
pan of the capitalist system, but when we do,
they slam the door on us,” he said.
While many American Indians do not like
the term reservation, because it is symbol of
past oppression, nearly everyone agrees that
reservations have become a home for the
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people as a whole.
To keep their homes, Indian people need to
learn to access “the system” and make it
work for them, according to Frank
LaMere, a Winnebago Indian Commission
member and executive director of the Nebraska
Indian Intertribal Development Corporation..
LaMere, who is very active in tribal, state
and national politics, said government and
elected officials have a large impaclon Indian’s
lives. American Indians have to remember that,
he said.
“When all else fails, we have to go back and
read the directions,” LaMere said, referring to
the constitution.
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be heard and receive our due from the United
Stales government,” he said.
Indian people also have to be visible in
politics, he said, to prove their commitment
“Wc ’ ve got to put in the time and effort to be
recognized by party leaders as good.”
LaMere said American Indians have
“earned their voice” in decision making be
cause “they have been the first to answer the
nation’s call in times of conflict in a greater
proportion to the rest of society.
During the Vietnam era, 81,000 American
Indians served in the U.S. armed forces and
41,000 fought in Vietnam, he said.
LaMere said he had five brothers who served
during the Vietnam era and one of them died
“defending the constitution.”
“Now we look to the American public to
guarantee out rights under the constitution,” he
said.
If American Indians are active, LaMere
said, and hold on to their I and, the people
will survive. Without the home base most
Indians agree that Indian tradition, culture,
language and families will disappear.
Blackhawk said much of the future of the
people on reservations lie with new leaders and
Indian children.
Snake agreed that creative new leaders have
worked hard and arc very active—but whether
the children will want to work as hard to prosper
remains to be seen.
Snake said today's Indian children get
§ caught up in pressures to assimilate into the
mainstream American way of life and materi
alism.
“Its hard to teach your children traditional
values when you are competing 'with TV,”
Snake said.
But LaMere said people can “take heart” in
the fact that “maintaining tribal identity
and culture remains one of the highest
priorities of all the tribal leaders in the coun
try.”
LaMerc said its important to remember
many of the concerns and values Indian people
have are the same as those of non-Indians.
‘‘We are no different than they are,” he said.
“There has just been a danger in this country
of others determining the wants, needs and
agenda of the the Indian people," Indian people
just want the power to decide those things for
themselves, he said.
LaMcre said in light of the upcoming elec
tion, many people have been talking about the
importance of family.
“Something inherent when you talk about
hard work and self sufficiency is opportunity..
.. on the reservations there has been no oppor
tunity.”
Indian people, he said, would like the oppor
tunity to better their way of life.
Given that opportunity, he said, “I think
people would realize that we’re not so different
after all.”
