"We are the Arikara, Mandan and Hidatsa.

"It's the name that made me who I am, and that name is Sue." Taking from an old lyric adage of a Johnny Cash song, I see the proposed change of the Three Affiliated Tribes' constitution and cosmetic name alteration as being resoundingly rejected by the people on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

Why do we want to be seen as the MHA, HMA and/or AHM nation, when we truly are three separate and distinct tribal nations? Instead of proposing a "melting pot" approach to the constitutional revision, why can't we implement a plan that will help bring about true economic freedom and distinct tribal liberties for each respective tribe?

Furthermore, why do we continue to reinvent the wheel, by pursuing an affiliation that was needed and worked during the mid-1800s and early 1900s, but at present, is our nemesis? The affiliation helps perpetuate unfairness and skewed distribution of monies, services, access and opportunities for those tribes who are in the out-of-sight-out-of-mind-zones on the reservation.

For my part, I would like to catapult us into the 21st century by changing the name of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and reorganizing the Three Affiliated Tribes into three distinct tribal governments."

Get the Story:
ax Dickens: Give the Three Affiliated Tribes separate identities (The Grand Forks Herald 3/5)

Relevant Links:
Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation - http://www.mhanation.com

Related Stories:
North Dakota tribe considers new constitution (2/20)