OPA

PARIS, France – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell met today with French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira to express the United States' concern about tribal sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony that are sold at French auction houses, and to seek cooperation in working to repatriate objects to Indian tribes in the United States.

In the meeting, Secretary Jewell and Minister Taubira discussed their shared commitment to helping tribes repatriate their sacred cultural objects that, under tribal customary law, are owned by the tribe as a whole and cannot be legally sold by individuals. The Secretary and Minister agreed to explore pathways that might provide greater protections for U.S. tribes seeking to repatriate their cultural property.

Secretary Jewell also met with President Catherine Chadelat of the Conseil des Ventes Volontaires, France's auctioneering association and regulator.

Paris auction houses have recently held a series of auctions that included Native American sacred objects such as ceremonial masks. The next such sale is scheduled for December 7 and includes items of concern to several tribes. In the meeting, Jewell noted U.S. tribes’ requests for greater transparency from French auction houses about the origins of objects being sold.

At the request of tribes, the U.S. Department of the Interior has worked closely with the Department of State, including the U.S. Embassy in Paris, to engage French authorities and raise public awareness. Only certain objects are considered “not for sale” by tribes, including objects that are sacred, used for religious or healing purposes, and deeply important to tribal identity.

In the meetings, Secretary Jewell also emphasized the unique legal and political relationship between the federal government and federally recognized tribes in the United States. Federally recognized tribes have their own governments within the U.S. political system, with the power to make contracts, own property, regulate their territory, to sue and be sued in court, and to appear in proceedings of administrative bodies, the same as any other sovereign nation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that $1 million in funding is being made available to federally recognized tribes through the Bureau of Indian Education’s Sovereignty in Indian Education (SIE) Enhancement Program. The SIE Enhancement Program supports tribes in their efforts to assume control of the BIE-funded schools serving their communities.

“The Sovereignty in Education Enhancement Program supports President Obama’s commitment to the tribes’ goals of guiding and enhancing their children’s education,” Washburn said. “Through the SIE program, the Bureau of Indian Education recognizes that tribes have a comparative advantage over the federal government in teaching tribal languages and culture, engaging the tribal community in schools, and providing accountability to the community. With proper resources, tribal governments can provide a higher quality of education in tribal schools and raise their students’ academic achievement levels.”

SIE Enhancement Program awards will range from $100,000 to $200,000 totaling $1 million per fiscal year depending on the number of schools involved, student enrollment, the complexity of creating a new tribally managed school system, and a tribe’s technical approach. These enhancements will provide funds for tribes to:

• Research and develop an alternative definition of adequate yearly progress (AYP);
• Develop an implementation plan that will reform a tribe’s current organizational structure towards an expert and independent Tribal Education Department (TED) that supports schools and students; and
• Covers the execution of the implementation plan with identified staffing, projected timelines, proposed budgets and activities.

The funds support the development of school-reform plans to improve educational outcomes for students and strengthen efficiencies in operating BIE-funded schools on the reservations where they are located. A tribe must have at least one BIE-funded school to be eligible for funding.

“The Bureau of Indian Education is actively responding to the recommendation from tribal leaders that it support tribal leadership on Indian education,” said BIE Director Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel. “The Sovereignty in Education Enhancement Program is one example of how we are recognizing the desire and ability of tribal governments to assume responsibility for the BIE-funded schools serving their communities.”

The purpose of SIE Enhancement Program funds is to support the tribes’ capacity to manage and operate BIE-funded, tribally controlled schools as defined by the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988. The SIE Enhancement Program was established based on a recommendation contained in the Blueprint for Reform, a comprehensive report on how to improve the quality of education in BIE-funded schools. The program fulfills a recommendation in the Blueprint for the BIE to support tribal nations in their efforts to restructure school governance, assume control over BIE-funded schools serving their communities, and develop curriculum that is both academically rigorous and culturally relevant to their students. This is the second round of SIE funds awarded since October 2014.

An initiative of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, chaired by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, the Blueprint for Reform was issued in June 2014 following consultation with tribal leaders. President Obama established the Council as part of his commitment to engage in a true and lasting government-to-government relationship with federally recognized tribes in a more coordinated and effective manner, including promoting and sustaining prosperous and resilient tribal communities.

The BIE will hold two pre-grant training workshops for SIE applicants via webinars on the following dates: •

• Pre-Grant Training 1: Tuesday, December 8, 2015, starting at 11:00 a.m. (EST).
• Pre-Grant Training 2: Friday, December 11, 2015, starting at 4:00 p.m. (EST).

Grant proposals must be received by January 13, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. EST.

For more information on the SIE Enhancement Program and to register for a webinar, visit http://www.bie.edu/Programs/Sovereignty/index.htm.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which operates the federal school system for American Indian and Alaska Native children from the federally recognized tribes. The BIE director is directly responsible for implementing federal education programs and laws in 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools on 64 reservations in 23 states serving over 48,000 students. Of these, 59 are BIE-operated and 124 are tribally operated under Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act contracts or Tribally Controlled Schools Act grants. The BIE also funds or operates off-reservation boarding schools and peripheral dormitories near reservations for tribal students attending public schools.

WHAT: In October of this year, President Obama announced a series of public and private sector efforts to address the prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic. As part of those commitments, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service; and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs will host a press conference to announce an agreement to equip BIA officers with naloxone for responding to incidents of opioid overdose. Following the press conference, there will be a community forum on preventing and treating prescription drug abuse and heroin use. Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of a prescription opioid or heroin overdose and saves lives.

WHO: Michael Botticelli, Director of National Drug Control Policy at the White House Dr. Susan V. Karol, Chief Medical Officer, Indian Health Service Michael S. Black, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Charles Addington, Deputy Associate Director of Field Operations, Bureau of Indian Affairs

WHEN: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Central time, Wednesday, December 16 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Press conference (credentialed press only) 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Community forum on responses to opioid epidemic (open press)

WHERE: Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa 500 S Peoria Ave Tulsa, Oklahoma 74120

LIVE WEBCAST: The events will also be video Webcast. To watch LIVE online, visit: http://www.nativetimes.com

CONTACT: Indian Health Service Public Affairs newsroom@ihs.gov 301-443-3593 Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Affairs 202-208-3710

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs has extended the effective date of its rights-of-way final rule by 90 days. The extension provides grantees, potential grantees, landowners and BIA personnel with more time to review the final rule and to adequately prepare for its implementation. The updated rule streamlines the process for obtaining the Bureau’s approval to ensure consistency with recently updated leasing regulations, increases the flexibility in compensation and valuations, and supports landowner decisions regarding the use of their land.

The new rule, originally scheduled to become effective on December 21, 2015, will now become effective on March 21, 2016.

“The new rule modernizes the process for obtaining rights-of-way over proposed oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines, railroads and other infrastructure projects on Indian lands,” Assistant Secretary Washburn said. “These reforms will expand economic opportunities for tribes and individual Indian landowners, as well as give more certainty to project proponents seeking rights-of-way approvals.”

Those specific reforms include clarifying the right of Indian land owners to negotiate the terms of rights-of-way directly with applicants and requirements for the BIA to issue prompt decisions on rights-of-way applications. The extension also delays the date by which current holders of assignments must provide documentation of their assignments to July 17, 2016.

The rights-of-way final rule was published on November 19, 2015, and updates the BIA’s regulations at 25 CFR Part 169, which were last updated more than 30 years ago. The old regulations were deemed ill-suited for the modern requirements for rights-of-way leasing. Among other issues raised by stakeholders were the need for faster timelines for BIA approval to improve economic development on tribal lands and greater deference to deals negotiated between tribes and lessees.

For additional information on the final rule, please visit the Indian Affairs website at http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/ORM/RightsofWay/index.htm.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn announced today that he has signed a reservation proclamation for approximately 292 acres of trust land located in the city of Payson, Gila County, Ariz., belonging to the Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona. The parcel will be added to the Tribe’s existing reservation under the authority of the Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984; 25 U.S.C. 467).

“I am pleased to exercise the authority delegated to me by the Secretary of the Interior and to issue this reservation proclamation, which quadruples the size of the Tonto Apache Tribe’s reservation,” Washburn said. “Restoring tribal homelands is one of President Obama’s highest priorities. Consistent with this priority, the Tonto Apache Tribe hopes to develop the new reservation land into homes for tribal members.”

Restoring tribal homelands and furthering tribal sovereignty are among the Obama Administration’s highest priorities for Indian Country. Tribes exercise significant sovereign powers on reservations and have the ability to govern themselves.

As a result of the proclamation, the Tonto Apache Reservation, previously consisting of 85 acres of land, now encompasses more than 375 acres of land.

A proclamation is a formal declaration issued by the Secretary of the Interior, and delegated to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, proclaiming that certain lands acquired for an Indian tribe are a new reservation or are being added to an existing reservation. The request for a proclamation must originate from the tribe. The parcel was acquired in trust in 2010 under the authority of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

The land that is the subject of the proclamation is adjacent to the existing reservation land and was acquired through a land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service. In 2011, the Bureau of Indian Affairs sought input from state and local governments about a proposed reservation proclamation and received no objections or concerns.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs is responsible for helping the Secretary of the Interior in fulfilling the federal government’s trust responsibilities to tribal and individual trust beneficiaries and for promoting self-determination and self-governance for the Nation’s 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.

Albuquerque, N.M. – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs John Tahsuda delivered remarks at Interior Days during the 2018 Annual Tribal Self-Governance Consultation Conference, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Tribal Self-Governance, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center. This year’s conference registration peaked around 900 attendees.

Secretary Zinke welcomed conference attendees via videoconference:

“For Tribal Nations across America, the road to prosperity is paved with the stones of sovereignty,” said Secretary Zinke. “When we promise economic empowerment to every American, that promise must extend to every tribal nation. As we look to the next 30 years of Self-Governance, the relationship between Indian Country and the Department of the Interior must be strong if we are going to accomplish our mission. President Trump and I are committed to the future of Indian Country and we look forward to working with Self-Governance Tribes on initiatives that promote the prosperity of Indian Country like putting an end the opioid epidemic.”

“Self-Governance has made great strides over the last 30 years. One of our main goals in the Administration is streamlining the federal bureaucracy and cutting red tape, so we can better support tribes in their pursuit to promote economic prosperity in their communities,” said PDAS Tahsuda. “Ultimately, the self-governance program serves not just as a funding vehicle, but also as a diplomatic exchange between sovereigns. I believe positive results are in store as tribes continue to be innovative and seek more ways they can take the core tenets and purposes of self-governance and expand it into more opportunities to administer services and programs to your citizens.”

The Tribal Self-Governance Conference is an annual event attended by officials of federally recognized tribes that operate federally funded programs under self-governance compacts and representatives of the federal agencies they do business with. The Indian Affairs Office of Self-Governance (OSG) conducts training sessions at the conference for tribal officials and program managers on all aspects of finance, reporting requirements, and administering Bureau of Indian Affairs programs under self-governance compacts.

OSG held a session on Thursday, April 26, on the Department’s proposed Federal Register notice of the “List of Programs Eligible for Inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Agreements to be Negotiated with the Self-Governance Tribe by Interior Bureaus Other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” For the first year, self-governance tribes with such agreements are invited to share their experiences in negotiating with non-BIA bureaus within DOI.

This year’s conference celebrates 30 years of Self-Governance in Action, with the special acknowledgement of the seven tribal nations who entered into the first self-governance agreements with the Interior Department – Absentee-Shawnee Tribe, Cherokee Nation, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Lummi Tribe, Mille Lacs Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and the Quinault Indian Nation – as the Tribes that pioneered the movement away from 638 contacting as the sole means by which tribes could operate BIA-funded programs when they participated in the Bureau’s Self-Governance Demonstration Project. The project was created following Congressional enactment that same year of the Tribal Self-Governance Act.

WASHINGTON –Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs John Tahsuda, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Director Thomas J. Walters, Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety Director Jesse Delmar and the Department of the Interior-Office of Law Enforcement and Security Director Darren Cruzan, are among federal and Indian Country representatives slated to speak at the 27 th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service on Thursday, May 3, 2018, at the United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M.

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service honors tribal, state, local and federal law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the line of duty while serving on federal Indian lands and in the tribal communities. It is also during this occasion when the names of the officers who will be added to the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial monument at the academy are formally announced.

The 27th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service will be live-streamed. To view the event, visit https://livestream.com/accounts/85948/BIAmemorial and type in the password “biamemorial”

WHO: Charles Addington, Deputy Bureau Director, BIA-Office of Justice Services, Master of Ceremony John Tahsuda, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, DOI Thomas J. Walters, Director, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glencoe, GA Jesse Delmar, Director, Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, Window Rock, AZ Darren Cruzan, Director, Department of the Interior-Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Washington, DC .

WHAT: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs John Tahsuda will deliver remarks and Deputy Bureau Director of the BIA - Office of Justice Services Charles Addington will serve as master of ceremony at the 27th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service where the names of two fallen law enforcement officers will be added to the memorial.

WHEN: Thursday, May 3, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. MDT.

WHERE: BIA Indian Police Academy, DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, 1300 West Richey Avenue, Artesia, N.M. Phone (505) 748-8151 for directions. CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event. Press seating will be provided. Credentialed media covering the event should be in place by 9:45 a.m. for the program beginning at 10:00 a.m.

To view an image of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and a list of the officers’ names inscribed on it, visit https://www.fletc.gov/indian-country-law-enforcement-officers-memorial

The event is held annually on the first Thursday in May, BIA-OJS conducts the memorial service in conjunction with International Chiefs of Police’s Indian Country Law Enforcement Section and other law enforcement organizations and agencies, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Artesia, where the monument, academy and memorial service are located. The Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and representatives of the Chickasaw Nation and Navajo Nation, whose officers are being added to the memorial this year, will be in attendance. The names of two officers added at this year’s ceremony will bring the total number listed on the memorial to 116:

• Navajo Nation Police Officer Houston Largo who was killed on April 12, 2017 while conducting a traffic stop of two individuals suspected in a reported domestic violence incident on Navajo Nation Reservation.
• Nelson Onepennee, Game Warden with Yakama Nation Police Department who was on April 11, 1980 while on patrol along the Columbia River when his vehicle left the roadway and plunged down a steep embankment.