Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 10, 1 October 1992 — Warm Springs Indian Reservation shows how [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Warm Springs Indian Reservation shows how

Sovereignty: a long and deliberate process

by Pearl Leialoha Page It took nearly half a century, but the native people of Warm Springs, Oregon have attained sovereignty over every facet of life. Their reservation encompasses three tribes with 2,000 members. The tribes have gone from 93 percent dependent on U.S. government programs to 93 percent self-sup-porting reports Deni Leonard, tribal member and researcher of native peoples and sovereignty rights. They operate a saw mill, fish hatchery, hydro-electric dam, clothes designing firm and a resort on a 700,000-acre reservation. " We decided that whatever business we pursued had to complement our cultural values," Leonard said, "so eaeh is operated in ways consistent with our tribal beliefs." As a result of their eeonomie independence, the tribes have established a scholarship fund for every child born to the tribes. Those already in college in different parts of the country receive personal visits from tribal elders, as a show of support. Hawaiians have several things going for them in their move toward sovereignty, Leonard said. Their strongest asset is their level of sophistication when sovereignty was lost. "In 1892, Hawai'i was probably one of the most sophisticated governments of all indigenous people in the world," he said. "But when you're well organized that's when others want to take you over," he added. Another strength is a formal program to teach about Hawai'i's inherent sovereignty and how that was illegally superseded. Hui

Na'auao, comprising 40 Hawaiian organizations, is launching its first set of workshops throughout the state to educate Hawaiians about their history and sovereignty issues. In educating Hawaiians and the public at large it's important to stick

to the facts w i t h o u t exaggerat i o n , L e o n a r d stressed. "This edue a t i o n process will also cause public opin- I ion to

r e v i e w whether certain (land) resources are actually being used," he said. Hawaiian sovereignty is a certainty:"it's just a question of when," he said. Next year will be the Year of Indigenous People when the United Nations will give added emphasis to its standing resolution to reinstate indigenous sov-

ereign governments, he ' said. The tribes of Warm Springs' own walk toward sovereignty started when

members of the tribes became lawyers and professionals in the '50s, Leonard explained in an August interview. They started building a case for sovereignty by collecting actual history as opposed to recorded history, he explained. Actual history comes from the tribal elders and oral traditions. This body of knowledge helped define former resources held by the three tribes, places of worship and hunt-

ing and gathering rights. Resources needed by the tribe whose ownership was disputed were especially targeted, Leonard said. The native people too, had to be re-educated, he noted. Building a consensus on what form self-gov-ernment should take took mueh discussion and effort. It was finally decided that eaeh tribe would be represented by its own tribal chief. These three sit on the Tribal Council for life, according to their traditions. Eight other eouneil members are elected every three years. The Tribal Council then supervised an inventory of all resources, including eaeh tribal member and his/her level of education, expertise and interests. With this information the eouneil designed a 20-year plan, directed to self-sufficiency. Consultants and trainers were used to teach and train and were given incentives based on results. Tribal members were also placed with companies to get specialized training. Now the tribes have their own experts in every area of operation and they in turn train the next gen-

eration, Leonard said. "Everyone who works for the tribes is either computer literate or committed to being educated," he added. "It's not uneommon to see an Indian in traditional dress and braids sittjng in front of a computer." Weekly and monthly reports are entered into computers, so a member of the Tribal Council ean puneh up the current status of any project at any time. This up-to-date

information enables the Council to make informed decisions, Leonard said. It took 10 years to set the tribal government in its present form with administrators in charge of eaeh department. They are accountable not only to the Council but to every tribal member. The proposed annual budget is sent to every tribal member for review. Eaeh department has to explain what it's done, what it plans to do and how this will benefit the tribes, Leonard said. These meetings ean last a long time, he said. Those who are "disgruntled with any particular program ean voice their complaint" and have it resolved, Leonard added. Eaeh administrator knows he will have to defend his leadership. Those who work in tribal government have learned to manage by objectives (MOB). Every goal is broken down into jobs, specific tasks and deadlines. This management method was not well received at first, Leonard said, but it eame to be viewed as a very useful tool in

' determini n g progress a n d defending

a department's viability, Leonard said. Today the tribes of Warm Springs enjoy a positive reputation among neighbors. Being proactive was very important onee political sovereignty was won, Leonard said. The tribes are now working on influencing education on the reservation to reflect more cultural values. An adult school has been formed to teach their own language.

In 18$2, Hawai'i was probably one of the most sophisticated governments of all indigenous people in the world -- Deni Leonard

Deni Leonard