L. Jace Killsback is one of two candidates for president of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana. Photo by Eugene Little Coyote
Expecting better results for a Democratic experiment
By Clara Caufield
Native Sun News Today Columnist
nativesunnews.today Since elections are right around the corner, I tried an experiment at Northern Cheyenne. In other election arenas, there is much discussion and debate about various issues. Yet, the same is not generally true in tribal sphere. Instead, the candidates seem to rely on kinship systems and providing lavish “feeds” to gain votes. This year, however, there have been a few refreshing and encouraging changes to that. Some of the candidates have sponsored debates and the tribal college organized a session for the candidates to present their views, but in general there still remains a very low degree of public discussion about the serious problems facing our people. The election in 2016 will prove very significant to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe as new leaders will be selected for the two top offices: President and Vice President. As one tribal citizen, I am very happy to be treated to a nice campaign meal by these candidates, but am more interested in their views, vision and suggestions for the future of our Tribe. Therefore, as a journalist, I formally and in a written form invited all four of the candidates for the office of President and Vice President to answer a few simple questions in writing which could be used as the basis for a story to be printed in Native Sun News Today. I assured them that their responses would be used verbatim; suggesting that the issues facing Northern Cheyenne are very similar to those faced by other reservations, particularly our sister reservation, Pine Ridge. All across Indian Country people are searching for new and fresh ideas to address the horrific problems faced by our people and thus, ideas from these candidates may very well be of interest to many people, but most specifically to the Northern Cheyenne people. The list of questions was short, but in my view significant: Why do you feel you are qualified to hold the office you seek; What do you see as the biggest two or three challenges facing the Northern Cheyenne Reservation; What proposals or suggestions do you offer to address those problems; If elected what steps will you take to assure transparency and accountability to tribal members; because a significant percentage of the Tribe is under the age of 18, what specific proposals do you have for addressing youth needs and finally feel free to add additional comment.
Read the rest of the story on the Native Sun News Today website: Expecting better results for a Democratic experiment (Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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