1. What are your concepts of native self government?
2. In comparison to the present system for natives, do you see
any improvement or a deterrent?
I'm not sure who you are, so I want to ask some basic questions
before we begin this discussion (which could get very hot if
the others on line understood the issues at hand.)
Are you making reference to the fairly new federal progam
called "Tribal Self-Governance Demonstration Project"?
The concept of Self-Government and Self-Determination for
Indian tribes has been the "federal policy" since the Nixon
years (1968) but its reality has come about more recently.
The BIA did allow tribes to contract the management of
programs in the 70's and theoretically the IHS did also,
but it is my belief that IHS did not wake up to self-
determination until about 3 years ago. (Hope I'm not
offending anyone here.)
But now tribes want more than management of tribal programs,
they want CONTROL. And who can blame them?
Is this the type of discussion you intended to illicit?
[ I think Ellen means "elicit." --Gary ]
Ellen Kemper
Santa Fe, NM