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<br />cultur.1 de...c1opmu\t, comrnuti.1
<br />de...eIQpmenr... H~ best fQ put it to
<br />USe is u di"'e:r.e: as Qur Indian uibes."
<br />
<br />111) 4Wmoulb the II.wards are: made
<br />'" on the basis Qf irniarioa, the
<br />QUrts tave rule:d iliat the
<br />wafer can be used fQr anything onte it
<br />is Oblained. Many [fibes Wt go
<br />thnNah the e1abQrate and ell"pe.o.sive
<br />Pu. process have no inrenuQn of using
<br />the PIA plans to irrilll.te mC' land.
<br />lnste.d they plan to use dIe water fQr
<br />enerl)' development, ~<:rell.(ion QE'
<br />omeruse,. .
<br />The N....ajo Nation'. chairman,
<br />Peterson Zah, said his tribe should
<br />
<br />dam u the: Slreams flo...ing off the
<br />reserv.don. "We oughl to pide up our
<br />tohO'lels" and build dams. "Some
<br />people may nOl .ppreciare that, but
<br />we're talhnl abo'ut survival,"
<br />In pllsf conference., the: Indians
<br />debated ...hether Ihey .hould seelr
<br />immediate quaDlull:-.tion of their
<br />rights. or ....it. leaving them
<br />open-ende:d. (Indi-.n ....[C[ rightS do
<br />not lapse lhrough non-use or
<br />non.adjudic:.uon.) Many tribel no
<br />loD.get Mve Wt thoice becaule lome
<br />srates are pushing for qUI.acifJcatiOll.
<br />But uibes .,hith have: a thoice wondCl
<br />if dti.t is . 1I00d rime to proteed with a
<br />f1l1lLl, irreversible detennination of
<br />meirhistoric wa.tcc tights.
<br />
<br />Chino ..id ",.iling can e
<br />hazardous. "We can be overrun by
<br />Congresl.. Congress can qu.ntify our
<br />w.ter, or condemn it and give it to the
<br />use~, the. same: as me great hou:
<br />'We're goins: to pay you for your
<br />land.' ..
<br />For economic reuons, this does
<br />not .ppear a good rime to quantify.
<br />Under PlA, IllId must not only be
<br />fettiJe And irrigllble .. it must a150 be
<br />(!UJnable .t a profk According to
<br />Keith )l:'1ferr 0( dIe Cheyenne' River
<br />SioLI;X Tribe in Eagle Bun:e, South
<br />Dalr.ota, very li.tde alrieuhure is
<br />profirable today. Of me 264 India.n
<br />ranchel'$ on hit reserv.tion, ) ewen:
<br />~, "60 percel!t are gOLag or have
<br />
<br />OHrllHr1J, J98J.. HigiJ Co.,,"Y NftIS.JJ
<br />
<br />-'
<br />
<br />gone bankrupt. Eve:n dryllUld wheal
<br />can't malre it... Jewett .aid that of
<br />20,00 Indian rancheB N1tionaJly, "~O
<br />percent are in uouble."
<br />VDri! nOW, waiting hu served the
<br />ttibe& weU. COIllUlunt Slcuon Ilid
<br />that m. me 1900, il was only possible 10
<br />irrigl:le levc:lland aloni sttelldlS. In
<br />dIe 1920s, IlC'W pump, could lift "atet
<br />to land .bo...e the streams. In the
<br />1940s, he said, .vocsdo UCC'S .llowed
<br />very StlCt.p hiUsides to be turned into
<br />irrigllled grovea. Bach Slep, StellOn
<br />lald, orpa.nded the deflJ1ition of
<br />irriJflble land .nd made dIe ladiaas
<br />eligible {or more ....te:r.
<br />
<br />(CO.tUllI.J 0" P.'. J 1J
<br />
<br />Tribes seek to finance development
<br />
<br />BUliNGS., Mt. .. ROb S.wimmer's
<br />aominauon as Assistant Secretary of
<br />huerior for Indian Mfain wu the. be.t
<br />prcseDt [he Council of Energy Tribe.
<br />(CEft!) could have Botten {or if I tenm
<br />birthday celebration. PresideDt Ron.
<br />aid Rcagan announced the DOmination
<br />Sept. 26, ...hile: Swimmer wu chairing
<br />the CERT board meeting here.
<br />Swimmer, the princ.ipal chief o{ the
<br />Cherokee Tribe in Olrlahoma, laid be
<br />learDed o{ the annoUllcemenl QQ the
<br />radio although be had been cXP<<UaI
<br />it {or somc rime.
<br />S,..immer replllCea Kenneth L.
<br />Smith in the: \'l,!toOO III ynrjob. '5oinilb
<br />w.s a membe:r of the: Wuco Tribe of
<br />Warm Springs, Oregon. Switnmcr, ..
<br />Tulsa banker and lawyer, is O. He it;
<br />now in charie o{ the {eder.1
<br />goveMment', programs for I.' mlllioa
<br />Nauve Ame:ricans, of whom about half
<br />IiveQn 270 rese:lVlI.tion.. Hi, budget is
<br />St billion, .dministered by ",000
<br />cmployee..
<br />10. IlD. address to CERT .t ill tenth
<br />birthd.y celebration the niabr before
<br />he learned o{ his nomin.tion,
<br />Swimmer said the oreanizacion of 40
<br />eD.C'riY uibes i.s I;[ a threshold.
<br />Formed originally to help. the roe:mbet
<br />tribes analYle offers and ncgotiate
<br />favorable 'greements with energy
<br />devclopment fltUll (.. job the federal
<br />governmen[ wu supposed 10 do in its
<br />cole- lI.I trustee or Indian rcsoUlcell),
<br />CERT now confrOnts a world o{
<br />dcpressed enerey demand. Swi.m.mer
<br />.aid, "Today. telling someone 10
<br />develop eneri>' may be like telling
<br />someone 10 10 inlO {arming."
<br />That docs not MellO CERT it DO
<br />lonler needcd. During this inrerlude,
<br />hesaid. uibes should sucnllthen their
<br />'lIo...ernrncnrs 10 prepare {or future
<br />devdopme.nl. "We need to be re..dy.
<br />We gOI CIIUllht .hon before. That's
<br />,.hy CERT wu fonned."
<br />In tal"" a.nd commen[S durio.l .
<br />thrCC'.day meet1n1l preceeding the
<br />boatd meering, tribal leaden ll1ld staPf
<br />members of dic Denver.baaed organi.
<br />za.lion referred frequently to the poor
<br />market for their uibes' coal, 11IllIliWD,
<br />oil j1Qd gal. Neither indwuy spellken
<br />nor thc CERT lIaff expect qL1ick
<br />improvement, '0 lribes' roylllty
<br />i.ccome (rom cristina development
<br />&I1d their opporwnitie. fOT future
<br />devclopmenl are droppina, A. .
<br />result, the meetina fotused on Ute
<br />tribe" sbilil)' to build, piaJ:l and
<br />diven;jfy.
<br />nus cDCrs:y do.,ntulll. all.f8vltCl
<br />. perennial problem {.cing nelllly all
<br />rribcs: finding w.ys to finano;e
<br />developmcnt on capital.poor rcserva.
<br />tions often lacking p.ved roads, W"ter
<br />
<br />Ind sewalle systems, And electricity.
<br />In . bold .ttempt to improve this
<br />lituation. CERT and its memt.en arc:
<br />movine intO the fl.ll.ll.llcial areDll. The
<br />staff is heJpinl three lIle"mber tribes
<br />establish ba..ob to provide bolb loans
<br />for tesc.rvlUion development pmje<:tI.
<br />.Dd baobnl lervites for tribal
<br />membeR.
<br />At .. three.hout lemin..r on
<br />f1DllD.C1n1 Indian projects, Leonard
<br />Atole, president of the }icarilla
<br />Apat.he:Tribe in New Mexico, said the
<br />tribe h.d succeeded in illui.ol
<br />r.ax.Clrcmpt bond. lut awnme:r for
<br />UO.2 million 10 buy. )),OOO-IId'e
<br />I'IJ1C.b neXl 10 the reserv.tion. The
<br />uibe was ODe of the {.l(It [0 UIC !.he
<br />Indian Tribal Government T... SraNa
<br />Act of 1982, which aIlOWl lribcs co
<br />ilau.c: sucll bonds. The bo.ods are
<br />backed by income from the uibc'. oil
<br />and ... wells and other asSCts.
<br />The CERT staff de.aibed !.he
<br />advanrales a.w:I dis.dvantagea of
<br />leveral oThe:r fin.ncing option.,
<br />i.ocludinJ joinr ventures, limited
<br />panner.hips, lervke o;ontt&C~ a.nd
<br />Farmen Home AdminiltraciOll loanI.
<br />Eric Nlrwig of CERT .ugBeated tribes
<br />mia~lt consider cre.ting thcir own
<br />holding company to parantce I~
<br />anti fra.nchise bll.Dlrs 011 reserv..tions.
<br />The combincd CIlpital of the 4.0 CERT
<br />tribes offen . St.l billion deposit
<br />polential, he said. N..lWi. is a founder
<br />Q{ Pirat American Capital in 1.0,
<br />Angeles, which will spcci&lizc in
<br />lendiea to Indiaras.
<br />An I.IIlbicioqs solu energy project,
<br />for the Cbertleheuvi Tribe in c.liforttil.
<br />will be the fust test of CERT's ability
<br />to move _ projcc:.t (rom ~tept 10
<br />completion. The Uo to 'so million
<br />project would ton...en sunlilht into
<br />fl...e to ~o meg.waltS of electricity.
<br />However, the energy demlltld dtIWII.
<br />tur11 could affect this project also.
<br />Ucilitiel in the area have a power
<br />swplus, and unlelS they ue willing to
<br />commit to buyinl tbe tribc'.
<br />elec:[ficity, flOlItIeing will be impos-
<br />sible.
<br />The CERT mCC'ting 'WU marred b)'
<br />poor .tlegdance .t I.he ~.oew.ble
<br />enerlY an.d the royall)' maoagemcnf
<br />workshop.. Less tb.an I dOlea people
<br />auended the royalty workshop
<br />Tuesday even.ing, where the Sou!.hera
<br />Urc lraft' explaiced how, for lell dwI
<br />'~,XlO, they had computerized the
<br />inventory {or !.heir 1,700 oil and IU
<br />wells.
<br />Wben the naif .tarted the prnjett,
<br />they h.d becn told mey coulda' t
<br />maIlipul.te lb.t much wonnacion
<br />with a mic:NCo.mputer. H~ever, me
<br />tribe has becn able to di.lcavCt
<br />
<br />'/'.- - ,. '-~ :
<br />'. i: -.. I
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<br />....:.J.. .....
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<br />
<br />II .'
<br />
<br />lAourt/ 11101_
<br />
<br />thoulll.ods of doUatl it!. toy..hy
<br />W1detp'ymen~ frmn companica, in
<br />.dditioD to developins a d.ra base for
<br />use in maoa.e:tnc'f\1 deciJioDl.
<br />In the ceremo.oia1 part of the
<br />me:etiDI, CERT bonorcd le"ctd
<br />people ...ho were insmzmenll.l in its
<br />birth 10 yean IIgo, including La Donna
<br />Ha..rrilI. of the Comanche Tribe. Earl
<br />Old PetsOD of the BIaclrfC('t Tribe,
<br />Lcon.a.rd Atole of the )icariJls.Apac.be
<br />Tribe and Nannal Hollow of me
<br />Assio.iboine-Siowr Tribe. Maay other
<br />founders h..vc alteady rctired,
<br />including MIen Rowla.nd of the
<br />Northem Cheyenne Tribe, or been.
<br />voted our of office by their tribes, ,uch'
<br />as Peter MacDonald of !.he N,vajo..
<br />
<br />Hollow, who will retire {rom h.ia
<br />.:.hainnaosbip .t Fan Pecl::, MODrana,
<br />Den year, spolre I:t . reception about
<br />CERT's help in thc development of
<br />p!:Bo.a.nel and of an IICcoUllUnI sYltim
<br />on hit ~servatio.o. "We were very
<br />dcpctllkm. upon U'50GS and BolA (the
<br />U.S. Geololical SW'Vc:y and the
<br />Burel:u of Indian Main). EVl:ry ti.mc
<br />we had to ~Iy upo.o them in a fight
<br />with industly, they invariably aided
<br />....ith the oil and pi industry," he
<br />said.
<br />N~. with a new cenU'l.li.r:ed
<br />Ilccounti.o. .yuem desi,ncd IIl1d
<br />io.nallcd by CERT, W tribe Clll get,
<br />",iLbinm.i.nutCl,6JUl'C'OI1tbemco.me,
<br />npl:ndirurea, and remaining balance
<br />foc a.ny project or enterprise. The:
<br />lDlIDlIacment ahifta did l10I cotl:1(
<br />cuily, however. After CERT had
<br />made it. recommend..!ions for
<br />tl1&IIaJII:ment chanae., "Some of my
<br />council people were Upllet. I told rhem,
<br />'Sometime. it'. difficult to swallow
<br />criciciam, but if you're aiocere in
<br />,..antin. to help your people, you must
<br />be open.minded and acc:ept ~com.
<br />mendations. '
<br />"Penonal.ly, I'm very proud ofthil
<br />grel;[ orrllDiz.cion. I'm proud they
<br />have the technical reSOWl:ea to IeI'Ve
<br />~. This lre..t organization will put. us
<br />on the alUlle footing ...i!.h indu.try for
<br />~evelopin. our resource.."
<br />
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