National

Mary Annette Pember: Tribal leaders meet for NCAI convention

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby opened the organization's 73dd annual convention in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 10, 2016. Photo by NCAI

Independent journalist Mary Annette Pember is in Phoenix, Arizona, for the National Congress of American Indians annual convention. She shares words from President President Brian Cladoosby, whose opening address on Monday set the stage for the week's events:

The conference has a packed agenda with government-to-government listening sessions scheduled to discuss consultation over infrastructure projects such as the Dakota Access oil pipeline with U.S. officials; strategy sessions on the gaming industry; a task force to address violence against women, and a panel on how to inculcate interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to develop a tribal workforce for the future.
Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish Tribe, is the 21st president of NCAI and has served on the Swinomish Indian Senate since 1985; he has been chairman of the Swinomish Indian Senate since 1997.
Cladoosby lauded Arizona’s 22 Native nations and the local planning committee for their hard work in coordinating the convention. He noted that the convention’s theme, “Prosperity through Sovereignty,” is a potent statement about the power of tribal self-determination.
“Health and welfare can only flow through the ability of tribal governments to make decisions for the benefits of our tribal citizens. It is a fundamental truth that the best solution for Indian country is Indian country itself,” he said.
Cladoosby recognized that it was the engineering genius of the Hohokam people, the ancestors of the Tohono O’odham tribe, who created the more than 500 miles of irrigation canals that make the city of Phoenix and surrounding communities a reality. He described this as an example of “Native Injunuity.”
This is a perfect example of how indigenous knowledge holds the key for solving life’s greatest challenges and how the knowledge can be used to build strong government, healthy tribal citizens and communities, he said.