FROM THE ARCHIVE
McCaleb hedges on the C-word
Facebook
Twitter
Email
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2002 Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb sometimes gets into trouble with the words he uses. Not with tribal leaders and others, though, but with himself. Earlier this month, he caught himself when he used the word "termination" to describe some of his trust management duties. "I used the T-word and I wish I hadn't," he told the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) organization. Now, he's worried about his use of the C-word. Consultation. Yesterday at the National Congress of American Indians, he joked lightly about the eight meetings the Department of Interior has held regarding the creation of a new Indian trust agency. Tribal leaders have criticized the Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management (BITAM) as well as the set-up of the sessions. Responding to that, McCaleb said: "I won't call them 'consultation.'" So instead, he stuck to "meetings." Tribal leaders use the word "scoping" to describe the glorified gripe sessions that have been held throughout the country. Nevertheless, McCaleb extended an olive branch to Indian Country and said the department was committed to working with a tribal task force to develop solutions to a problem "as old as the Dawes Act," he said. The Dawes Act parceled out land to individual Indians, creating the trust that a federal judge is considering removing from McCaleb's grasp. "It has defied a satisfactory solution for 114 years," McCaleb said of the trust. McCaleb also praised nearly a dozen alternatives offered by tribes as "insightful" and thoughtful." His boss, Secretary Gale Norton, has gotten into hot water for claiming BITAM is "superior" to the tribal options. Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington and a task force member, praised McCaleb for reaching out. But he challenged the department to fund the panel so that work could move forward. "I believe you do have the money," he said, rejecting explanations that there aren't fund available for the task force. He said the Office of the Special Trustee "has the money." "The Secretary has an obligation to deal with this matter," he added. Norton and McCaleb agreed to fund the task force with $500,000. But according to NCAI President Tex Hall, the department hasn't signed a contract to carry out its end of the bargain. Dennis Charley, an Alaska Native leader, echoed the sentiments and told McCaleb tribal leaders should be reimbursed for travel, lodging, food and other costs. "Take care of us when we're there and we'll take care of your problem," he said. McCaleb didn't provide an immediate answer to the requests. He did say department officials are looking forward to attending the next task force meeting, scheduled to take place in Phoenix, Arizona, next week. McCaleb rounded out his address by saying he was happy the Individual Indian Money (IIM) class action lawsuit was filed. "I think the Cobell litigation is a blessing," he said. "It focused national attention on this issue," he continued. "Five years ago, nobody knew, so nobody cared outside of Indian Country." "Now, they do," he said. Today on Indianz.Com:
Key trust reform player leaving BIA (2/28) Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://130.94.214.68/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp Related Stories:
Norton retreats on BITAM proposal (2/26)
NCAI's Hall still doubts Norton (2/26)
Daschle: 'Significant' questions on BITAM (2/26)
Norton admits BITAM not only solution (2/25)
ICT: Norton axes 'superior' comment (2/25)
Tribes again criticize BITAM (2/15)
Senate panel grills Griles on trust fund (2/13)
Swimmer legacy haunts BIA (2/12)
Congress urged to act on failed trust act (2/11)
Dog and pony show moves to Congress (2/7)
Norton dodges questions on Internet shutdown (2/7)
Norton goes before House panel (2/7)
Editorial: Take trust from Interior (2/7)
Tribes take assault to Congress (2/6)
Judge rejects 'improper' request by Norton (2/6)
Trust drives small increase in BIA budget (2/5)
Interior security funds outlined (2/5)
Monitor's 'only hope' seen as termination (2/4)
Memo sounded early warning on TAAMS (2/4)
Indian Country lacks confidence in Norton (2/4)
On the Indian trust bandwagon (2/4)
No light at end of Interior tunnel (2/4)
Norton's weekend in the woods (2/1)
Norton sketches trust reform budget (2/1)
Additional consultation meeting set (1/31)
BITAM comments available for review (1/30)
McCaleb talks of termination of trust (1/29)
Tribal leaders clamor for EDS report (1/29)
Trust Reform: Consulting on a blank page (1/28)
McCaleb making address to USET (1/28)
Next BITAM consultation in Alaska (1/22)
Editorial: Norton, McCaleb 'deluding' selves (1/21)
Tribes slam Norton's trust proposal (1/18)
Opinions and Views on Indian Trust (1/18)
Tribal leaders preparing for BITAM (1/16)
Consultation continues in South Dakota (1/11)
Tribes prepare for BITAM consultation (1/10)
Indian trust consultation on Jan. 10 (1/8)
EDS trust report being finalized (1/8)
Tribes fending off Norton proposal (1/4)
More BITAM consultations planned (1/4)
Editorial: No confidence in Norton plan (1/2)
Norton circles her wagon (1/2)
Trust fund regulations revised (1/2)
Cobell: Justice for Indian Country (12/24)
Tribal leaders blast Norton proposal (12/21)
Consultation wagon continues in Minn. (12/20)
Interior might hold more consultations (12/20)
Checks to Great Lakes region delayed (12/20)
Taking lead on trust reform proves tough (12/19)
DOI promises web site update (12/18)
BITAM consultation on Dec. 20 (12/17)
Tribes continue assault on Norton plan (12/14)
In The Hoop: The War on Tribalism (12/14)
Norton must end the Indian Trust sham (12/13)
Tribal consultation begins on BITAM (12/13)
Norton set for first consultation (12/13)
Attorneys barred from BITAM consultation (12/12)
NPR covers BIA overhaul, trust fund (12/11)
Indian panel urging BITAM slow down (12/10)
Norton 'offers' to meet with tribes (12/7)
Norton cleared for tribal consultation (12/6)
House to hold hearings on BIA overhaul (12/5)
McCaleb doubts tribal opposition (12/4)
Interior extends comment period (12/4)
Trust fund report still can't be found (12/4)
Tribal leaders worried about consultation (12/4)
Advertisement
Stay Connected
Contact
Search
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
News Archive
About This Page
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)