Vermont Indian Commission Chair provides final perspectiv e
Charles
Delaney-Me geso
May 20, 2010
Kwai Kwai Nidobak! (Greetings ,
Friends! )
I owe gici oliwni (great thanks) to everyone who helped
make my tenure as a Member and then the Chair of the Vermont Commission
on Native American Affairs (VCNAA) as productive as I was able to make
it. In particular , while the counsel and comfort I received at low
points was deeply appreciate d, the constructi ve criticism I received
when I made mistakes was even more helpful in my efforts.
In my
role as Commission er, I have done my best to promote and practice a
fair, open, and democratic process. This has always been my approach,
and I believe that this played a part in Governor Jim Douglas appointing
me to the VCNAA and then to the lead role as Chair.
As I said
after that promotion, I did my best to “create a door so other people
can walk through it.” I also noted: “If the bands get recognitio n and
the Commission gets empowered, then I’ve done my job.”
I have
pursued these goals over the decades of my work for N’dakinna (Vermont)
Native Peoples. I and many others were very upset that S.117 didn’t pass
the muster of the Arts and Crafts Board of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs. The minimal acknowledg ement of Abenaki as Native Americans that
the 2006 bill granted was only half a loaf.
This year’s work on S.222 has, I hope, given us another quarter of a
loaf and gotten us that much closer to what we need and rightfully
deserve as Indians. Although this law still leaves much work to be done,
it does give N’dakinna’ s aboriginal Peoples a clear process for gaining
recognitio n, something the previous law did not.
It seems clear
from what I’ve seen and heard that there is a great deal of energy and
persever ance from both the State of Vermont and her Natives that the
holes will be filled in a thoughtful and thorough way.
Like wise,
as new people apply to reform the Native Affairs Commission , I hope that
they are chosen for their dedication and driving vision to better all
aspects of Vermont Indians’ lives. I believe that it is crucial that the
incoming Commission ers want to help heal wounds and dysfunctio ns in the
Native community.
To be strong Peoples, we must stand up for
each other and not pursue deep-seate d acrimony and vendettas. When we do
this, we play perfectly into the wishes of those who would keep us from
our just rights. Getting us to betray and denounce our relations
fracture s us into smaller and smaller, often isolated, groups that are
more easily manipulate d.
An illustrati on of this is the example
of what drew me back into Abenaki activism. In 2008, out of the blue,
and two years after S.117 passed and I retired from the political scene,
I got a call from the BIA’s Arts and Crafts Board. The lawyer on the
other end of the line wanted me to give up the names and other
informat ion of Vermont Abenaki craftspeop le. He was after Abenaki
individu als he could add to his prosecutio n list for creating crafts
that in any way identified as Indian.
A t that time, another
Indian recognitio n bill, S.369, was being considered in the Legislatur e.
This was meant to fix the problems of S.117, particular ly the BIA
decision that it did not pass muster for arts and crafts laws.
I
told the BIA representa tive that I thought it highly inappropri ate for
the federal government to be antagonizi ng the situation while our State
was doing its best to remedy the problem. I also told him that there was
no way I was giving him names and that if he wanted to pursue the
matter, he needed a court order.
Im mediately, I let the VCNAA
know about the incident, and slowly I let my work for my fellow Natives
expand to include politics again. The trust people invested in me as I
walked the path from there to here humbles me. I hope that what I have
been able to give back was worthy of that support.
In order to
enable the Native American Commission to have a new, level playing
field, I encouraged wording in S.222 to bring about the needed change of
the sitting Commission . One has power by giving it away.
Whe n
the new Members pick up the torch of the VCNAA’s work, I hope that there
are many young people as well as Elders. Including people from around
the State and from different groups is also important. In this way, we
would have the intrepid go-to-it-t iveness of the up and coming
generati on, most of whose lives are still in the future. We would have
the wisdom and long view of the Old Ones who have seen many things,
includin g the need to live in a way that is healthy and sustainabl e unto
the Seventh Generation . And we would hear the voices of the many varied
cultures of our Peoples and places. Many new voices can make for better
conversati on.
As for myself, although I now leave as your Chair
of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, I hope to continue
working with all of you for a better day for all indigenous Peoples. I
will also continue my long-stand ing role as a representa tive and
activist for the Moskitia Communitar ian Nation on Central America’s
Atlantic Coast; and I will remain a participan t, as I am able, with the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.
Again,
oliwni (thank you) for this opportunit y to serve you, and get to know so
many of you so much better.