Tribal Sovereignty

I agree with the tone of the letter of Gary T. Jones but have a few questions.

Mr. Pederson was correct on that point of a lack of information. Without a thorough understanding of this history, and the total lack of regard of the Federal government in setting any of it on a better footing, we will muddle along.

Private consultation between the Tribe and the Dept. of Interior? The public should be more involved than it is. Do we really think those in the D of I. can really be aware of the long list of problems arising from the accumulated and defective national Indian policy? I don’t think so. One solution would be Skagit County open hearings and town hall events.

As far as a starting point, the Point Elliott treaties are of very little consequence. The legal history is long, involved, and is poorly understood by most of us. I would recommend consultation with a citizen of Bellingham who has made a major effort to sort through this labyrinth of poor and misunderstood law. Without an understanding of the lack of real “sovereignty,” except for internal affairs, it is hard to conceive of a way forward. Contact me for the name of this person and I will assist.

I reiterate my position: The tribes, and tribal persons, are in a superior positon to the average citizen. There is a dual citizenship applied to them. The governmental apparatus remembers that they are wards of the state and tries to accommodate them, but in doing so, this keeps them in an inferior position from a longer term point of view. This keeps them as privileged pawns now but hinders their fuller opportunities. Eventually, they will be assimilated and keep their own culture as best they can. All groups of people in the U.S. are affected this way, they are no different, despite being here before us. Didn’t they come across the Bering Strait?

Until we are all legally equal in status — meaning that they actually own their own land, are U.S. business corporations, and have no BIA, Dept. of Interior, or anyone else between themselves and the U.S. Constitution — we will continue to have these problems, only magnified going forward. If the Tribe were to be given the rights to extend their control over March Point lands, the consequences of that would cause escalation and deterioration of those effects of dual citizenship. It’s time for the U.S. government to do the right thing. Equalize all citizens.

George D. Conger

La Conner