Tribal sovereignty a historic, non-negotiable element

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole

Contributed by Tony Choate, tribal media relations

TULSA, Okla. - U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a Chickasaw who represents Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District, was a featured speaker at the recent National Congress of American Indians national convention in Tulsa.
Rep. Cole said 30 years after passage of the Indian Self-Determination Act, Indian nations are experiencing a time of unprecedented opportunity.
“For the first time in 500 years, in my opinion, opportunity is moving toward us instead of away from us,” said Rep. Cole. “And it’s because for 500 years people maintained tribal identity and tribal sovereignty as a reality in North America.”
Today’s generation of American Indians has an obligation to live up to the legacy left by ancestors of past generations.
“The (historic) tenacity of Native Americans in the face of extraordinary difficulties ought to always remind us that whatever problem we have today is pretty minor,” said Rep. Cole. “And whatever opportunity we have, we owe to them.
“And going forward, if we don’t take advantage that their suffering and their tenacity and their determination created for us, it would be the ultimate betrayal to each and every one of them who fought to maintain their identity as Comanche, or Chickasaw or Arapahoe or Iroquois - that fought to maintain their culture so that it would live through their children and grandchildren and descendants.
“If we ever break that bond with our forefathers, we betray not just ourselves, we betray our children, their descendants.”
Along with that challenge, Rep. Cole offered a six-pronged strategy for American Indians to take full advantage of the sovereign status of Indian nations.
Those six prongs include economic diversification, cultural revival, education, negotiation, litigation and political participation.
“I think (economic diversification) is well under way. Each tribe needs to look to its resources, its positioning and figure out ways it can be successful,” said Rep. Cole, who pointed out that there is an economic revival in Indian Country. “People focus on gaming – that’s part of it. That’s allowed tribes to recapitalize themselves. But I also see those tribes taking those dollars and setting up banks, setting up other businesses, providing services for their people. It’s been an extraordinarily important revival of opportunity.
“There are lots of ways for us to be successful and diversify. And Native Americans should be woven into every part of this extraordinary economy that we have in North America.”
Regarding cultural revival, he stressed that it is very important for young people.
“(It is) very important for our young people to know that this culture was here long before Europeans. That it is rich, diverse. That it has contributed enormously, to frankly the entire world.”
Speaking of education he said that it is important to think of educating our own people and others.
“There is no question how important that is that we have the John Herringtons of the world who have the education they need to be an American astronaut, that we have scientists and entrepreneurs, and teachers,” said Rep. Cole. “But (it is also important) to educate the rest of America about us. That’s one of the things I always take as my job in Congress.
“It’s amazing how, frankly, ill-informed most Americans are about the first Americans – about the unique history and the unique status under the American Constitution that Native Americans enjoy. Not because they were given that status, but because they negotiated that status as pre-existing political entities. It’s very important that never be forgotten.”
While negotiation is important, Rep. Cole was quick to point out that there are limits to that strategy.
“We have a lot to negotiate. We have a lot of interests. We have a lot of disputes, frankly. We have our own position to defend. And I’m always willing to sit down and talk with people. But negotiating does mean there are certain things that are non-negotiable. And you establish those things up front.
“And nobody negotiates themselves out of existence. We should never, ever, ever qualify the principle of tribal sovereignty. If it’s qualified one place, it’s threatened every place. When we negotiate, we negotiate stipulating from the beginning that tribal sovereignty is never negotiable – never negotiable,” said Rep. Cole to a thunderous round of applause.
Acknowledging that it is sometimes necessary to go to court, Rep. Cole pointed to some advantages of litigation that are not always apparent.
“Some of the most important issues surface in our country – and always have – for all Americans in the crucible of the legal system,” said Rep. Cole. “The Cobell case is a case in point. I’m willing to negotiate. I’m willing to litigate. I’m not willing to surrender. That litigation has been enormously important to us, in educating other people.”
In addition to all the other strategies, Rep. Cole added that political participation is essential in protecting sovereignty.
“I always tell people when we talk about political participation – and I’m a very proud Republican, a very active Republican – I don’t want tribes to be Republican tribes or Democratic tribes,” said Rep. Cole. “I want each tribe to have good Republicans and good Democrats, good independents – whatever they want. But I want tribes to be looking after political interests.
“Neither political party has a record on these issues that it can be very proud of over the sweep of American history,” added Rep. Cole. “One thing I’ve learned in politics is never to be taken for granted. If one side thinks you’re automatically on the other side, the side that you’re on takes you for granted, the side that you’re not on writes you off and you don’t get anything.
“We should look at individual politicians and political parties and reward or oppose them, on the basis of where they stand on the issues that are important to us as tribal sovereign units and as Native peoples.”