OPA

Twelve Indian high school students selected from schools all over the west will participate in "A Better Chance" program originating on the campus of Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H., this summer, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Robert L. Bennett announced today.

Bureau of Indian Affairs schools participating in the plan include the Albuquerque Indian School, Albuquerque, N.M.; Chemawa Indian School, Chemawa, Ore.; Sequoyah High School, Tahlequah, Okla.; Sherman Institute, Riverside, Calif.; Stewart Indian School, Stewart, Nev.; and Turtle Mountain Community School, Turtle Mountain, N.D.

A public school, Okmulgee High at Okmulgee, Okla., is also represented.

Most of the students are at ninth and tenth grade levels, except two seniors, George Douglas, Okmulgee, and Albert Dreadful water, Sequoyah. The seniors were especially selected because of their outstanding leadership abilities and college-level potential.

Purpose of the program, which began in 1963 at Dartmouth, is to prepare youngsters with potential to go on to preparatory schools or high schools in areas that offer outstanding educational systems. Upon graduation, they are then ready to enter one of the better Eastern colleges.

The selection of the students was left to their school principals, who chose them on the basis of potential, rather than on their present academic records.

The students will arrive in Washington June 27 for a few days of orientation and field trips in the Nation's capital, reporting to Dartmouth June 30.

They will then go through a rigorous six-week program, flexible to meet the needs of the individual boys, but concentrating on mastery of the essentials of good writing, reading and mathematical thinking. Classes are small, permitting private tutors and counselors to give attention to the individual needs of the students.

The boys will also be involved in sports, hikes, art, music, dramatics, and field trips in the New England area.

Students selected, their schools, home towns and tribes are: From Chemawa, Willie Kasayulie, Akiachak, Alaska, Eskimo; Elmer Jackson, Kiana, Alaska, Eskimo; Pavila Pavila, Tuntutuliak, Alaska, Eskimo; Enoch Tooyak, Point Hope, Alaska, Eskimo; Johnny Hunter, Angoon, Alaska, Eskimo.

From Albuquerque: Ben Sam, Ganado, Ariz., Navajo. From Okmulgee: George Douglas, Okmulgee, Okla., Cherokee. From Sherman Institute: Walter Hogan, Parker, Ariz., Mohave. From Turtle Mountain: Dwight Trottier, Belcourt, N. D., Chippewa. From Sequoyah: Bruce Doyle, Tahlequah, Okla, Cherokee, and Albert Dreadfulwater, Tahlequah, Okla., Cherokee. From Stewart: Stanley Darrell Kisto, Bapchule, Ariz., Pima.

Twelve studies to determine the feasibility of economic development which could create greater job opportunities on Indian reservations and in the native villages of Alaska are being undertaken by the Bureau of Indian Affairs with technical assistance funds provided by the Area Redevelopment Administration of the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior announced today.

Contracts totaling $402,493 have been awarded to the lowest qualified bidders for carrying out the studies in 11 States.

In ALASKA a $50,000 contract to study the feasibility of establishing a reindeer meat, fish processing, tannery and fur production enterprise at Kotzebue has been awarded to Arthur D. Little, Inc., and Cambridge, Mass. A $40,500 contract was awarded to the University of Alaska for a study to improve methods and changes needed to increase the market for Alaskan native arts and crafts.

In ARIZONA a survey of the economic potential for industrial development for the Gila River and Salt River Reservations is to be carried out by Western Management Consultants, Phoenix, Ariz., under a $26,000 contract.

In IDAHO a survey of recreation and tourism resources in the Nez Perce Country will be made by Armour Research Foundation, Illinois Institute of Teleology, under a $35,743 contract.

The quantity and condition of timber on the Blackfeet and Rocky Boy's Reservations in MONTANA and the Wind River Reservation in WYOMING are the subject of a study being conducted under a $48,500 contract by K. B. Wood and Associates, Inc., Portland, Ore. (A similar survey on the Flathead Reservation in Montana is being carried forward by Greenacres, Inc., Seattle, Wash., under a $75,000 contract entered into about a month ago.)

On the Pyramid Lake Reservation in NEVADA two studies will be carried forward--one covering a market study and a feasibility report on the potential for recreation and economic development for the reservation and the other aimed at determining the skills of the resident Indians for organizing and managing such enterprises. A $38,200 contract for the development study was awarded to International Development Services, Inc., New York City. For the study of managerial skills a $4,500 contract was awarded to Dr. William Gomberg of the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

On the Navajo Reservation in ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, and UTAH there are two studies under way. Under a $14,000 contract AGRI Research, Inc., Manhattan, Kansas, will explore the economic feasibility of establishing a meat processing plant on the reservation. The other study is aimed at determining the economic utilization of mill and woods byproducts of the Navajo Forest Products Industries, the tribal sawmill enterprise, located on the New Mexico portion of the reservation. It is being conducted by Kenneth Smith, San Francisco, Calif., under a $17,500 contract. –

In OREGON the feasibility of developing the Kahneeta Hot Springs Resort on the Warm Springs Reservation as a tourist attraction will be studied by Fenton, Conger and Ballaine, Inc., Seattle, Wash., under a $10,000 contract.

In SOUTH DAKOTA a study to determine character, extent and location of commercial recreation facilities needed in the Big Bend Redevelopment area (Crow Creek and Lower Brule Reservations) will be studied by Harland Bartholomew and Associates, St. Louis, Mo., under a $40,750 contract. The study will be focused on attracting to the Indian-owned area around the reservoir, now under construction, some of the two million tourists who annually visit the Black Hills.

On the Colville Reservation in WASHINGTON a feasibility study of mining, processing and marketing of sodium sulphate and other saline deposits found mainly in dry lake beds is being conducted by Michael Rivisto, Industrial Consultants, Seattle, Wash., under a $76,800 contract.

Commenting on the broad range of studies being launched, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Philleo Nash called them "a most important move toward bringing direct, tangible benefits to Indians through full development of their reservation resources."

"If these numerous economic development possibilities are found feasible and put into effect," he added, "they will create hundreds of new jobs providing steady employment for Indians who have too long lacked such opportunities. Many of these developments would also substantially increase the flow of income into tribal treasuries that could be used for other beneficial projects.

"Before the enterprises are undertaken, however, we must first know whether they are practical and feasible. All the significant economic facts affecting them must be carefully weighed and objectively analyzed by research organizations with highly developed skills in this type of study and analysis. That is why these studies are so crucially important. They constitute an early stage of a far-reaching program of greater economic development on Indian reservations."

Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs signed a final decision denying recognition of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe. The decision was based on the determination that the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe did not meet one of the mandatory criteria in the Code of Regulations (25 CFR 83.7(e)).

A notice of a Proposed Finding to Decline Recognition was published in the Federal Register on June 8, 1995 (60 FR 30430). A 180-day comment period was provided for public comment. Subsequently, a 60-day period was provided for the Golden Hill Paugussetts to respond to third-party comments resulting from this publication.

This decision is based upon a new analysis of all the information in the record. This includes the information available for the Proposed Finding, the information submitted by the petitioner in its response to the Proposed Finding, evidence and documentation submitted by interested and informed parties during the comment period, the petitioner's response to the third party comments, and new evidence and documentation collected by the BIA staff for evaluation purposes. None of the evidence and information used in this analysis demonstrated that the Golden Hill Paugussetts descended from a historic American Indian tribe.

The petitioner continued to claim ancestry from the historic Paugussett tribe through a single individual, William Sherman, a common ancestor of the entire present membership. Extensive research · by the petitioner, third parties, and the BIA has failed to document, using acceptable genealogical methods, that William Sherman was Paugussett or Indian. The evidence submitted in the Golden Hill Paugussett's response focused on William Sherman's ancestry. No document was submitted or located for the final determination that 0 identified the parents of William Sherman. No document was submitted or found for the final determination that provided sufficient evidence acceptable to the Assistant Secretary that William Sherman was descended from a historical Indian tribe, or had any Indian ancestry.

Therefore, it is determined that the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe has not demonstrated that its membership descends from a historic tribe , or tribes that combined and functioned as a single autonomous political entity. For this reason, the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe does not meet the mandatory criterion, which is set out in the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 83.7(e).

There are seven criteria that a petitioner for Federal acknowledgment as a tribe must meet, ensuring that the petitioner has existed continuously as a tribe since first sustained contact with non-Indians. These criteria, found in 25 CFR 83 (a)-(g), call for demonstrating through documentary and other evidence that the group has been identified by outsiders as an Indian community, that it has continuously formed a distinct community with political influence or authority over its members, has provided its governing document, that its members are descended from a historic tribe and are not primarily enrolled in another, already recognized tribe, and the petitioner is not subject to Congressional legislation terminating the Federal relationship.

The Golden Hill Paugussett decision was made under the provisions of the acknowledgment regulations (83.10(e)) which calls for an expedited decision where an initial review demonstrates that the petitioner clearly does not meet the requirements of criterion 83.7(e). Where a petitioner clearly cannot demonstrate that its members descend from a historical Indian tribe, an expedited finding is made based on this single criterion. A full consideration under all seven criteria is not made under these circumstances. This is the first final decision made under the expedited review process. Two proposed decisions have been made under the expedited process, to deny acknowledgment of the Mowa Band of Choctaw and the Yuchi Tribal Organization.

This final decision will be published in the Federal Register. It will become effective 90 days after the date of publication, unless a request for reconsideration is filed with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals (BIA) pursuant to 25 CFR 83.11.

Since the beginning of this Administration, 12 tribes have gained Federal acknowledgment status through the administrative process, Congressional recognition or restoration after previous termination. The Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe is only the second petitioner that has failed to meet the criteria for Federal acknowledgment during this Administration.

WASHINGTON. D.C.--Senator James Abourezk today asked Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton to take immediate personal charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs until a commissioner of that agency is legally appointed. Abourezk is chairman of the Senate Interior Subcommittee on Indian Affairs.

Abourezk said that the intervention or the Interior Secretary is required immediately to stop the BIA from going ahead with a reorganization plan which is being implemented "prematurely, illegally and without realistic involvement of the Indian tribes."

Abourezk said that acting BIA commissioner Marvin L. Franklin has issued a memorandum purporting to carry out his reorganization plan.

Last month the Senator cited an opinion set forth by the Law Division of the Library of Congress that Franklin has been acting illegally as head or the BIA for six months. That opinion declared that for Franklin, or anyone else to serve as BIA head the President must submit his name for Senate confirmation within thirty days.

"If' Mr. Franklin is to continue to make decisions regarding the Bureau of' Indian Affairs why hasn't his nomination been sub­mitted so we can get on with confirmation hearings?" Abourezk asked Morton.

The Senator said that the Interior Subcommittee was advised that a steering committee had been set up by Secretary Morton to direct any reorganization efforts, but a memorandum dated August 17 reports that the committee has not reached any conclusions on its review.

­­­ "Many tribes have told me of their opposition to the entire reorganization plan. The Interior Department pledged to the committee that it would withhold this reorganization until the Indian tribes had an opportunity to be realistically involved.

"I have repeatedly requested that reorganization be delayed until these tribes can be realistically involved and until we have completed our hearings. Despite Interior Depart­ment officials pledging cooperation with the committee, Franklin continues to proceed with this reorganization."

"I strongly urge your immediate action," the Abourezk letter concluded, "in putting a stop to these actions, reprimanding those who are acting without proper authority and taking personal charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs until such time as a commissioner is legally appointed."

NOTE TO EDS: A copy of Abourezk's letter to Morton is attached.

Honorable Rogers C. B. Morton

Secretary of the Interior

Department of the Interior

Washington, D. C. 20240

Dear Hr. Secretary:

A memorandum to all Bureau of Indian Affairs employees from Marvin L. Franklin which purports to carry out Mr. Franklin's reorganization plan, has come to my attention. That memorandum, dated August 17, 1973, is extremely ill-advised for the following reasons:

1. Mr. Franklin's authority to reorganize is very much in doubt. In spite .of the opinion of the Interior Solicitor which, although disagreeing with the previous Library of Congress opinion, failed to bring in any new facts or law and reached a conclusion that has very little if any documented support. If Mr. Franklin is to continue to make decisions regarding the Bureau of Indian Affairs, why hasn’t the nomination for Commissioner been submitted so we can get on with his confirmation hearings?
2. We were advised that the Steering Committee, composed of Interior officials and established by you would direct any effort toward recognition. The August 17 memorandum states that the Steering Committee has not reached a conclusion. Therefore, Mr. Franklin is acting beyond the scope of his claimed authority and his prior assurance to the Committee that these decisions would not be made by the Bureau staff alone by prematurely implementing the reorganization.
3. There is no indication that there has been any realistic involvement of Indian tribes in this reorganization nor has there been any approval by the tribes. In fact many tribes have notified me of their opposition to the whole package and requested that I take stronger action to assure that the reorganization was not considered. Information coming to me was that the previous plan had been set aside and that Mr. Sid Freeman had joined your staff to begin a rather thorough analysis of the present organization with the intention of designing a plan more compatible with Indians' needs and desires.
4. When your Department testified before us on the Authorization hearings your witness said that the Bureau was willing to cooperate with the Committee at all times. I have repeatedly requested your withholding this particular reorganization until you had consulted with Indian people and we had an opportunity to complete our headings. Mr. Franklin action flies in the dace of that request.
5. In spite of the stay in the “Manceri Decision” by the Supreme Court, many very capable Indian employees are being pushed aside while non-Indians are being placed in charge of the programs those Indians have previously directed.

In Summary, this appears to be a bureaucracy acting beyond the law. To this I must strongly protest.

I strongly immediate action in putting a stop to those actions, reprimand hose who are acting without proper authority and take personal charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs until such time as a Commissioner is legally appointed.

Thanking you in advance for your cooperation, I remain

Sincerely,

James Abourezk

United States Senator

My friends and fellow students;

You were kind to offer this platform today and invite me to present my views on issues and priorities affecting the lives and furniture of Indian Americans. Other commitments prevented me from attending the opening of the conference, but I have followed the proceedings by moccasin telegraph. It is apparent from all accounts that the conferees are doing what they set out to do – that is, baring the modern-day r duties of Indian life, good and bad. And who is more suited to undertake such a study than this assemblage of thoroughly modern American Indians?

Despite the fact that I have passed somewhat beyond the critical age of 30, I hope you will accept me, too, as a modern American Indian.* I accept these times -- not past history.- as being the reality for all living Indians; and I, like you, know that what we do and say in our conduct of Indian affairs will establish realities of the future.

You may think it whimsical of me to call myself one of your "fellow students." The dictionary offers more than one definition of the word. It says a student is "one who pursues Learning in school," (That fits you.) But a student is also described as "one who is an attentive and systematic observer." (That fits me as well you.)

I have been attentively and systematically observing the activities of Indian youth during the months since I became Commissioner of lndian Affairs. , My new office has given me the opportunity to travel and visit in many part of Indian America, and to become acquainted with the ''now'' generation of young Indian men and women.

One thing I have come to believe firmly: These young people should not be relegated to obscure functions, just because they are young. It isn’t the number of gray hairs that counts, it’s the gray matter under the hair we should value. Brainpower doesn’t necessarily improve with age – and youthful minds practice in the art of idea-making.

We are making room for youthful Indian men and women in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Young Indian lawyers, teachers, sociologists, trained business managers and others with more generalized backgrounds are being fitted into positions where their ideas and ideals can contribute to new policy. They are engaging in activities that will give them experience in administration and opportunity for leadership within Government and beyond Government.

Note to press: Commissioner Bruce is a Sioux-Mohawk aged 63.

I find their company and their style stimulating. I aIso find myself in agreement with nearly all the ''new thought" views. For this reason, I was particularly eager to take part in this conference. It offers me a chance to become acquainted with the segment of Indian youth who are not part of the bureaucracy and who have been vocal anti-establishmentarians.

We might have some differences of opinion here, but diversity of views is good when it results in the creation of fresh perspectives. We all can agree that a lot of stale stuff has cluttered Indian Affairs for a long time.

For example, there’s the thread bear slogan: “the only good BIA Indian is a dead one. such irresponsible statements as this stair Passions and obscure facts they're the tools of the professional Indians” and their fellow Travelers people who have discovered that it is both fashionable And profitable to use Indian misery as the Rocket Ride to personal publicity.

Despite their hammering and the BIA, The fact remains that the BIA what is the most enduring supporter Indians have. It is the means by which the special obligations of the government to work Indian tribes are administered. This is not to deny that there is plenty of room for New Perspectives and the administration. I hope this conference will produce some constructive recommendations for modernization of programs.

The Bia suffers from anemia it doesn't have enough Youngblood this by sizable budget in recent years, government policies and programs have been less than perfect in their social and economic successes partly because they are out in concept and partly because they originate from do not relate to the Indian way. The various kinds of human Salvage operations function at best a stopgap measures which temporarily need the Indians physical needs but they failed to anticipate future economic requirements and they failed to provide cultural and emotional substance for the distinctness of Indians.

The fault is not altogether with the white man at least not with the modern white man at least with missionary Zeal, he has tried to lead Indian Stewart the Great Society. But we Indians haven't really hard to explain that some of these meds and goals are just not out there. There's a short circuit in the communication system between Indians and Mom and Dad's, and it is time for you and me try to fix it. It is time for us to start thinking and talking about what we believe to be the course which the BIA and federal policies should follow for the future.

The Indians are miniscule minority, but we have power for in excess of that which all members who seem to Warrant. I will. Not just another minority, writing the momentary bandwagon of minorities, paraphrasing the slogans and taping the techniques of other groups. We are Indian. We know what it means, but it is time for us to articulate it for the rest of America.

The exercise of articulating it for others would also help us sort out our own thoughts. Boe to ourselves to strip away all the emotion from issues in Indian Affairs, and enunciate a set of priorities to which we can turn our closest attention.

The plain, unadorned fact, the front line priority problem, is that most Indians don't have enough income to live in decency and self-respect.

In many ways Indians were worse off in the affluent 1960s than they had been in the depressed 1930s. In the 1960s many Indians looked like the relics of the Great Depression, even though a lot of people kept telling Indians they were part of the so-called “Great Society”

With few conspicuous expectations, Indians are close to the bottom of the nation's economic totem pole. Even where ample resources exist, the resources have not been developed to their fullest and are therefore not producing the jobs or the income Indian tribal members need for Financial Security.

Indian unemployment is ten times and more the national average, which at present is under 4%. Children are suffering perhaps the repairable damage to their mental and physical Powers because of malnutrition, cold and inadequate Healthcare. Shacks and shanties are the shelter for entirely too many Indian Reservation families the same kind of miserable housing that existed 30 years ago.

The single most insistent issue in Indian affairs today is how can we eliminate the causes of Indian poverty?

Incredible though it may seem, the BIA has never in the past Define its priority goal as that of seeking to eliminate the causes of Indian poverty. The mission statements of such basic and all important programs as education and resources management fall short of stating that the ultimate responsibility is to create a job producing economy and employable people.

The BIA is currently undergoing a re-alignment that will result in giving priority attention to Priority needs. It seems that BIA had been organized into teams playing under various program banners. I want you to know that I don't regard Indian Affairs as a game, now the BIA as a political football. It must be reshaped into viable structure. I choose this word, viable, because it means capable of living. Instead of continuing to draw its life from the Indian people, the BIA must become capable of breathing new life into Indian communities making them viable.

Indians will never arrive at a happy level of association with the rest of American society after the last barrier to Economic Opportunity has been dropped.

There isn't going to be any real solution to Indian problems social or otherwise under there is a sound economic base and each and every family.

The perfectly obvious cause of Indian polity today is an employment. Indians in the rural reservation communities are jobless because Industrial and Commercial development of such areas has large floor behind the nation as a whole.

There has been pitifully little priming of the pump capital for development on the reservation from either, federal or private sources. However in the past I am pleased to report the rate of industrial growth in Indian areas has mushroomed. A new industry is opening up on the average of once every 10 days and many of them among the big five hundred in assets and growth rates.

Lack of preparedness for the skills and professions of today's job market is another obvious cause of excessively high Indian unemployment. This is the fault of chronic efficiencies in elementary and secondary schools serving Indians whether they be BIA schools, public schools are most Mission schools. According to some of our best Indian teachers and administrators the quality and modernity of education programs actually declined below pre-World War II levels Indian cultural center curriculums and English as a second language were commonplace in many BIA schools a quarter-century ago and they're just now this year and last, again being provided for in the federal budget for Indian schools.

Weather the Indian man or woman worker chooses to remain in the home Community or move to an urban and industrialized area the need for skills in order to get a job remains the same capability of the BIA to fund and operate unemployment assistance program is limited by an annual authorization of no more than $25 million. But there are other sources of training forms that I do not believe have been tapped to their fullest by Indians the National Council on Indian opportunity under the chairmanship Vice President Agnew, is the coordinating body for federal efforts and much attention has been given this past year to the crisis problems of the thousands upon thousands of Indians now drifting into cities in search of new jobs and new lives.

I have outlined a four-point set up goals that seem to me to be the ones deserving priority effort from this moment forward. I hope we will work together toward their fulfillment.

Our goal is that each Indian community be given an opportunity to expand into an economically viable and socially progressive environment a place that can pridefully be called home, a place that emanates the spirit of modern Indian America.

Our goal is that no Indian shall be relegated to the ranks of unemployables because of lack opportunity for training in occupations that are relevant to these times and relevant to Indian hopes. This means that the land and all that resources will be put to good use as a base for the Indian economy -- In the spirit of the old Indian ways but in the forms that are meaningful for today and the future.

Our goal is that every Indian child shall have the best in education suited to his needs and talents and interests and that all the signs of the second rate in teaching methods, curriculums, materials and facilities will be replaced

And our goal of course is to provide the base within government and within the private sector for Indians to be full participants in the planning and execution of all policies and programs affecting their destinies.

In conclusion may I offer a reminder: In 6 years this nation will be celebrating its 200th anniversary of Independence. In the ensuing two centuries since the Declaration of Independence, the spiritual and economic independence of Indian Americans has declined. Let us pledge that the year 1976 will signal the re-emergence of Indians to the Forefront of American life.

In September, President Trump announced the successful repatriation of ancestral remains and funerary items from Tribes associated with the Mesa Verde region from Finland. Following that effort, the White House has asked the U.S. Departments of the Interior and State to work together to assist other Native American tribes in the repatriation of any additional cultural items abroad.

In response to this mandate, the U.S. Department of State has requested U.S. embassies around the world to send information about Native American collections overseas to the Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior has announced formal government-to-government consultations will take place with Tribes on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. The announcement was issued through a Dear Tribal Leader letter dated October 26, 2020.

“The Department of the Interior is a proud partner with the U.S. Department of State in assisting tribes with their efforts to bring home from overseas objects and remains that are part of their cultural patrimony,” said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Mac Lean Sweeney. “We take our NAGPRA responsibilities very seriously, including investigating illegally obtained items. We will continue working with our federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners to ensure they are safely returned to their rightful homes.”

“The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs raises awareness overseas about the damage to tribal communities when sacred items are bought and sold. Protecting Native American cultural property internationally continues to build a safer and more peaceful world for all global citizens,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.

“Part of President Trump’s “Putting America’s First American’s First” plan is to honor Native American heritage, and this initiative shows further action, in partnership with tribal leaders, to repatriate Native American artifacts important to tribal communities across the Nation,” said Doug Hoelscher, Assistant to the President & Director of White House Intergovernmental Affairs.

Repatriation of Native American ancestral remains and items of cultural, spiritual and community significance is a priority for the Trump Administration, and the U.S. Departments of the Interior and State are interested in facilitating these repatriation efforts.  Both Departments have supported several international repatriations from foreign museums in recent years in response to Native American Tribes’ requests for assistance.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), requires U.S. institutions to consult with Native Americans about their collections and to return certain sensitive cultural items, including ancestral remains. Since its passage approximately 1.9 million such items have been returned to Native American communities that depend on them for their well-being. The Trump Administration is committed to using NAGPRA as a model at the international level to seek the repatriation of Native American items of cultural, spiritual and community significance.

For further information, please contact the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Public Affairs at interior_press@ios.doi.gov.

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WASHINGTON – On October 28, 2020, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Mac Lean Sweeney, accompanied by several Trump Administration officials, met in Flagstaff, Arizona, with Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma of the Hopi Indian Tribe to sign a commitment letter for $5 million dollars towards an infrastructure project to reduce arsenic levels in drinking water on the Hopi reservation. Accompanying Chairman Nuvangyaoma were Executive Advisor to the Chairman Duane Humeyestewa; Carroll Onsae, general manager of Hopi Tribal Communications Inc. (HTC) and Hopi Utility Corporation (HUC); and HUC engineer Timothy Bodell, who is leading the Tribe’s water quality analysis.

Joining Assistant Secretary Sweeney from the Administration were Assistant to the President and Director of White House Intergovernmental Affairs Doug Hoelscher; Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Council Jennie Lichter; U.S. Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan; U.S. Indian Health Service Director Rear Admiral Michael Weahkee; U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Michael Bailey; and Kate Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

“It was an honor to join the Federal delegation in discussions with the Hopi Tribe, including the Chairman and other tribal leadership, to advance an important water quality project that will bring better health, improved infrastructure, and stronger communities to the Hopi people,” said Director Hoelscher.

“Clean, accessible drinking water is vital for the health of our Native communities,” said Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney. “I am proud to announce that the Trump Administration has committed $5 million to the Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Project to reduce the levels of arsenic in water in three Hopi communities. This project has languished since 2008, but the Trump Administration made the Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Project a priority and is helping to move it forward.”

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in the groundwater used by the Hopi communities of Second Mesa, First Mesa, Low Mountain and Keams Canyon. In 2001, the EPA adopted a new standard for concentrations of arsenic in drinking water of 10 parts per billion (ppb), replacing the old standard of 50 ppb.

In order to begin addressing the problem, EPA and the U.S. Indian Health Service (IHS) provided the Tribe with financial and technical assistance to implement a regional water supply delivery system. Named the “Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Project,” or HAMP, the system involves construction of wells at the Turquoise Trail region and installation of water lines to the areas of First Mesa and Second Mesa.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs advises the Secretary of the Interior on Indian Affairs policy issues, communicates policy to and oversees the programs of the BIA and the BIE, provides leadership in consultations with tribes, and serves as the DOI official for intra- and inter-departmental coordination and liaison within the Executive Branch on Indian matters.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs directly administers and funds tribally operated infrastructure, law enforcement and justice, social services (including child welfare), tribal governance, and trust land and natural and energy resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes through four offices: Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services, and Field Operations.

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WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney today announced she has approved two fee-to-trust applications submitted by The Chickasaw Nation for casino resorts in and near the Oklahoma cities of Ardmore and Kingston, respectively.

“In reviewing The Chickasaw Nation’s applications, I determined that the transfer of these parcels into trust for gaming purposes would promote its long-term economic development and self-sufficiency, self-determination, and self-governance,” said Assistant Secretary Sweeney. “This action comports with our mission to support tribes in their efforts to utilize their lands and resources for the long-term benefit of their people.”

“We appreciate Secretary David Bernhardt of the United States Department of the Interior and Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Mac Lean Sweeney of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for their leadership and thoughtful consideration of the Lake Murray and Lake Texoma projects,” said Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Commerce Bill Lance. “The Chickasaw Nation may now proceed to the next phase of development on these important regional tourism and entertainment projects, which are projected to create approximately 200 new jobs at the Lake Murray location and 175 jobs at the Lake Texoma location. Studies conducted on behalf of the Chickasaw Nation estimate a combined economic impact, including construction, of $160 million in the first year, and a combined five-year economic impact of $783 million. We look forward to the tremendous positive impacts these projects will have on our Chickasaw citizens and surrounding communities for many years to come.”

In 2016, The Chickasaw Nation submitted applications to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to transfer into trust approximately 248.09 acres of land known as the Ardmore Tract in the City of Ardmore in Carter County, and two parcels totaling approximately 61.63 acres known as the Kingston Property near the City of Kingston in Marshall County, for gaming and other purposes. The Nation plans on constructing casino resorts at both sites.

Chickasaw Ardmore Project:

The total estimated economic impact on the regional economy in year one from this project is estimated to be $102,394,029.

Economic output from initial construction of the development is expected to be $44,214,375. This includes the direct impact of construction costs, the indirect impact of spending from the construction company suppliers, and the induced impact from spending from employees of all these companies.

The total impact on regional economic output from the Ardmore Project’s annual revenue is expected to be $57,093,713. This includes the direct impact of revenue from the Ardmore Project, the indirect impact of spending from suppliers, and the induced impact from spending by employees of these companies.

Construction and operation of the Ardmore Project will generate substantial temporary and ongoing employment opportunities and wages that would be primarily filled by the available labor force in the city of Ardmore and surrounding communities in Carter County, Oklahoma. The Ardmore Project will create 213 jobs. Of those, 128 will be new jobs, and 85 will be filled by employees expected to transfer from other Chickasaw facilities. In addition, the Ardmore Project will create 78 indirect and induced positions at other businesses, resulting in the creation of 206 new direct and indirect jobs (128 direct and 78 indirect).

Chickasaw Kingston Project:

The total construction costs for the Kingston Project are estimated to be $19,420,000. After including direct impact of construction costs, the indirect impact of spending from the construction company suppliers, and the induced impact from spending from employees of these companies, the total impact on regional economic output from initial construction of the development is estimated to be $34,345,727.

Annual revenue from the operations of the Kingston Project is estimated to be $15,862,427. By including the direct impact of revenue from the casino and hotel, the indirect impact of spending from the casino and hotel suppliers, and the induced impact from spending from employees of these companies, the total impact on regional economic output from the development’s annual revenue is estimated to be $22,860,136.

Operation of the Kingston Project would generate 174 new full-time employment positions. Of the 174 jobs generated, 108 would be a direct result of the proposed project, while the remaining 66 consist of indirect and induced employment opportunities.

Environmental Assessments (EAs) on both projects analyzed the potential impacts of the proposed casino resort projects and alternatives. The EAs evaluated the transfers of the sites into trust and the Nation’s subsequent development of the casino resorts. The BIA made the EAs available for public comment: The Ardmore site from February 15 through March 18, 2019, and the Kingston site from March 12 to April 13, 2020. It received no comments from the public on both. The Ardmore EA is available at www.ardmorecasinoea.com and the Kingston EA is available at www.kingstoncasinoea.com.

The Assistant Secretary determined that the proposed projects would have no significant impact on the quality of the human environment and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for each. This fulfills the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Since the Assistant Secretary also determined that the sites are eligible for gaming pursuant to the “Oklahoma Exception” of Section 2719 of Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, 25 U.S.C. § 2719 (a)(1)(A)(i)(i), the Chickasaw Nation may conduct gaming on them now. The Oklahoma Exception authorizes gaming on lands acquired by the Secretary in trust for the benefit of an Indian tribe after October 17, 1988.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs advises the Secretary of the Interior on Indian Affairs policy issues, communicates policy to and oversees the programs of the BIA and the BIE, provides leadership in consultations with tribes, and serves as the DOI official for intra- and inter-departmental coordination and liaison within the Executive Branch on Indian matters.

The Office of Indian Gaming acts as the primary advisor to the Secretary and Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs on Indian gaming and the requirements of Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), P.L. 100-497, and other federal laws. Its duties and responsibilities include the administrative review and analysis of IGRA’s statutory and regulatory requirements and related statutes as well as policy development and technical assistance to tribal and state stakeholders. OIG implements the Secretary’s responsibilities under IGRA and, as such, has a significant impact on economic development resulting from Indian gaming.

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WASHINGTON – In late 2019 the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) launched an innovative school bus internet connectivity project with the goal of using its 25 longest bus routes to keep students connected to learning. Well before COVID-19 hit the United States, the Bureau had begun to transform the designated school bus fleet into extended classrooms so that students remained connected while traveling, in some cases over 200 miles roundtrip per day, on distant bus routes.

Once schools resume in-person instruction, the internet-enabled buses will serve 19 BIE-operated and tribally administered schools in Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington State.

“Connectivity is an Administration priority, as it is in the traditional and cultural sense for tribal communities like my own,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney “The Wi-Fi Bus pilot project is another opportunity to help bridge the digital divide in Indian Country.”

BIE Director Tony Dearman stated, “This innovative project will benefit hundreds of our students who must travel long distances by bus every day to reach their classrooms and return home.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, about a third of the homes with school-aged children don't have internet due to financial challenges. BIE’s Wi-Fi Bus project is a step closer to closing the connectivity issue and inequality issues already seen in low-income communities, especially in Indian Country

From the work with the National Tribal Broadband Summit, Indian Affairs is very aware that reliable, affordable broadband access is critical to the health and economic well-being of tribal communities. The completion of the Wi-Fi Bus project moves BIE that much closer to achieving one of Summit’s goals: that of bridging the connectivity gap in Indian Country.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs advises the Secretary of the Interior on Indian Affairs policy issues, communicates policy to and oversees the programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the BIE, provides leadership in consultations with tribes, and serves as the DOI official for intra- and inter-departmental coordination and liaison within the Executive Branch on Indian matters.

The BIE implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary schools, secondary schools and dormitories (of which over two-thirds are tribally operated) located on 64 reservations in 23 states serving an estimated 46,000 individual students. The BIE also operates two post-secondary schools and administers grants for 29 tribally controlled colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges.

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