NCAI in the Rose City

According to W. Ron Allen yesterday, of the Jamestown S’klallam Tribe in Washington State, the conference of the National Congress of American Indians held in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center from October 30 until November 4 had the largest amount of attendees ever for the event.  As of the time of this writing that has not been confirmed, but if not the biggest group for NCAI it has to be up there.

NCAI had not been to the state of Oregon since around the time I was born.  They were long overdue.  Typically NCAI holds three conferences per year, one in winter, right before summer, and in the fall.  I was worried about choosing the fall for the 68th Annual Conference–summer in Portland would have offered more not the least of which is the opportunity to dispel notions of being a state plagued by rain.  But late October they chose, and the weather overall cooperated.  The day of the opening procession was dreary and wet, frustrating because the days before and after were beautiful displays of Oregon autumnal weather, and because I volunteered to carry one of the flags in the event we didn’t have enough veterans.  The procession went smoothly, and my only regret is being in the procession lead didn’t give me the chance to witness the whole march, which must have stretched close to a mile from what I saw glancing over my shoulder while ascending the famous steel bridge over the Willamette.

Starting Sunday morning and continuing until Friday afternoon made this the single-longest conference I have attended as a Tribal Council member.  It was only the third NCAI conference for me as well, and first as the delegate since replacing Wink Soderberg.  One thing I knew before but was reminded of is that Wink really made the rounds and represented us well, having made a lot of contacts all over the country.  Unless of course all the people who asked about me secretly hated him, but somehow I doubt that.  Being the delegate will require me to tap into my extrovert side.

The welcome reception on Sunday night was an opportunity for the Oregon Tribes to showcase themselves, which we all did.  Several Tribes, ours included, gave brief welcomes and played videos that highlighted key accomplishments.  Other Tribes chose to make cultural displays on stage, through traditional drumming and dancing.  Two nights later even more Tribes would be given the chance to do the same at a special “Culture Night”, which was a combination dinner of local traditional and local ingredients and performance.

To those not familiar with NCAI, the shortest explanation I can offer is that the organization was founded on the idea that tribes across the nation had best stick together to both advance and protect their interests.  That said, any issue of importance in Indian Country will be discussed in some form at either the multiple General Assemblies held daily throughout the conference, or in the committee and subcommittee sessions, or in workshops/work sessions focusing on a special topic.  In a less organized way, the conferences present networking opportunities.  Government officials from all levels and departments make a point to stop by, either to give speeches or provide an opportunity to be listeners.  After one day, you will notice that there is a lot of hallway conversations taking place, and obligatory post-conference drinks.  There are also a lot of suits, a lot of regalia, and necklaces, beaded pins, cowboy hats, turquoise belt buckles and giveaway items bearing either Tribal or casino names.  Naturally, there is an area for vendors who like the Tribal representatives come from all over.

Taking a peak at the agenda, I can say that there is a reason we typically send several individuals to this conference.  For any single person to take everything in is impossible.  You need a crew.  Even then one’s brain reaches information overload, as did mine on Monday as the General Assembly went from 8:30 until nearly 5 in the evening, featuring speakers from the White House, Department of Interior, and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.  I’ve come to appreciate the breakout sessions more, because sitting and listening to any number of speakers on any topic for more than three hours is draining.

Highlights?  Where to start…One of the more intriguing presentations came from a man named Jerry Mack, who led the campaign for “Alaskans Standing Together” in Alaska a year ago.  He recounted the efforts to re-elect Lisa Murkowski as a write-in candidate for Alaska’s Senate seat.  Remember Murkowksi fell out of favor with the Tea Party-influenced Alaska Republicans, who basically ditched her for Joe Miller.  Only one other Senatorial write-in campaign ever succeeded, and that was Strom Thurmond in 1954.  They are exceptionally difficult, as the candidate’s name must be spelled correctly and the oval filled in on each individual ballot to be counted.  The campaign was a long-shot, but made successful because of Murkowski’s relationship with Alaskan natives, which yielded dividends in the form of $1,000,000.00 in donations from 12 Alaska regional corporations.  Miller didn’t help himself by tweeting how he planned on ordering furnishings for his new office in D.C., which the Murkowski campaign highlighted in their ads.  Social media especially played a large role.

The movement for indigenous people’s rights internationally also appears to be gaining steam, as a speaker from Nicaragua named Myrna Cunningham Kane spoke through a thick Spanish accent.  Things are getting worse for indigenous people around the world, she told us, which is why the involvement of Native Americans is so essential right now.  There will be a United Nations Conference with this very topic in 2012.

All this was just the first two days.

What was the most pervasive symbol I saw at NCAI last week? Feathers? Dreamcatchers? Turtles? Try none of the aforementioned. The symbol that haunts my mind the most has little to do with Native American culture, the Apple apple. Everywhere I looked there were iPhones and iPads. Owners were using them frequently as well, which is how I know because the logo is very distinct. At one point I figured it might be worthwhile to stand up during one of the General Assemblies and ask if any individual Tribes had some sort of agreement with Apple, kind of like an employee discount (In Grand Ronde we have numerous). I am not expressing criticism one way or the other, merely making an observation. Yes I also had my iPad handy, which is starting to feel a little dated compared to all the iPad 2’s.

The year 2011 happens to be an election year for NCAI and the respective officer positions. President Jefferson Keel had no opponents, and that must be interpreted as a compliment. Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer were all open. V.P. Juana Majel Dixon and Treasurer W. Ron Allen retained their positions. Secretary, where the predecessor didn’t seek re-election, went to a man named Ed Thomas. There were campaign letters galore, also buttons, pamphlets, and even for one candidate, chocolates. One candidate got a little overzealous, placing letters on every seat and on each table prior to the General Assembly, only to be told there would be a special section for campaign literature near the registration booths.

The General Assemblies were like a who’s who of speakers in Indian Country. Those I was able to catch had all sorts of interesting tidbits to share. I learned that Natives account for roughly 2/3 of all juveniles held in detention. Scary considering they comprise less than 3% of the total population. On average, Native juveniles will usually serve 50% longer sentences than for non-natives who committed the same crime. Not exactly uplifting statistics, but sobering. On a broader issue another speaker who was advocating for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro explained that by 2050 the total population on Earth will reach 9,000,000,000. To accommodate such a large number food production world-wide will need to increase by 70%. Numbers like those honestly make me nervous.

The workshop which nearly made my head explode was titled “What Tribal Governments Need to Know About Lean Management”. Two instructors lectured us for nearly three hours on the concept, which basically stems from practices developed at Toyota and thus a model was actually called the “Toyota Production System”. Other forms have developed, like the “High Velocity System”. What they are in essence are management systems that focus on Respect for People, Creating Value, Continuous Improvement, and Elimination of Waste. I capitalize those phrases because they did. Lean thinking is not necessarily about cutting, but instead focuses on efficiency. The workshop went beyond its time limit, ironically, but whetted my interest enough to Google the concept later. In all the session went nearly three hours, with many anecdotes and example from the instructors’ work. I will need to familiar myself with “Kaizen” more, and spaghetti diagrams. I think the workshop was ultimately just a taste for those curious, which there were plenty as the room ended up having fewer chairs than participants, meaning we were scrunched together almost uncomfortably.

The final day of the conference was shortened, as is typical. Reports were given from the various committees and resolutions passed, nearly 114 in all. Several were tabled, and others elicited comments that reminded me once again it would be nearly impossible to follow everything discussed. Among other subjects, there was a resolution to oppose the use of Geronimo as a code name for Osama Bin Laden; to support the preservation and education of the Navajo Code Talkers’ language, legacy, heritage & culture, and history to benefit all future generation; support for Native American Heritage Day; and support to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

While NCAI preaches solidarity among Natives, I learned there are still differences of opinions between Tribes all over the country. Thus it was fitting in the closing minutes of the conference, before the retiring of the colors, a Tribal Council member from another regionally well-known Tribe stood and thanked the dwindling audience for coming to “Cowlitz country”. I debated whether to say anything, but decided to save it for here. Last I checked, Portland was and still is located in the ceded lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.