Re: aboriginal people and employment?
Les Tate (ltate@hiwaay.net)
Mon, 8 Jan 1996 07:38:43 -0600
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federal (US) corporation which is
responsible for management of the Tennessee River, power generation, and
economic development of the Tennessee River Valley. I am a research chemist
at the TVA Environmental Research Center in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In 1991
a small group of Native Americans and others who support NA efforts and
identity chartered the Organization of Native Americans at TVA, the first
NA employee organization in the entire federal government. Originally only
federal or state
"recognized" NAs were allowed as full members, however in late 1994, this
was changed. The rationale was that many people have NA blood, but because
of failure of their ancestors to register on any roll, loss of papers
during forced moves and other hardships, and harsh discrimination that
forced many to hide their identity. ONA now accepts as full members any TVA
employee having NA blood, whether or not they have government
identification. We are still a small organization, less than 100, and have
found that there are about twice as many who claim NA blood for employment
purposes, but do not belong to ONA. ONA also has an associate member
classification for anyone not having or not claiming NA blood, but who
support the purposes of the organization. While the principal chartered
purpose is employment equality, ONA also provides genealogical assistance
for those wanting to learn more about their NA ancestry, works for
protection of NA burial and ceremonial sites across the Valley, adopted
Cherokee High School in Cherokee NC as a Partner-in-Education, and provides
a Native American Awareness Program each year in three locations within
TVA. If you want more info please e-mail me directly at ltate@hiwaay.net
and I will send further info about ONA.