by Editorial
Indianz.com
Tribal leaders from all over Indian Country will meet today with the Bush
administration to discuss a proposed, and opposed, reorganization of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Many, understandably, will complain. Like members of Congress, tribes were
not consulted prior to the announcement of the dramatic overhaul, despite
being the most affected by the decision.
But many more will offer solutions. After seeing their trust funds
mismanaged for more than 100 years, they know and understand what it takes
to correct the neglect inflicted upon them after their lands were taken by
law, executive order or outright theft. Their suggestions will be ignored.
The Department of the Interior has demonstrated repeatedly that it cannot,
and will not, respect the advice the people who know best. Regardless of who
is in charge, administration after administration has “listened” to tribal
leaders, Native Americans and highly qualified experts — only to reject
their views in favor of doing the least possible at the least expense.
Evidence of this behavior has been demonstrated over and over since the
passage of a trust reform act in 1994 and the inception of a class action
lawsuit against the government. Despite a mandate from Congress and orders
from a federal judge, the Interior has failed to reconcile a single one of
the more than 300,000 accounts belonging to American Indians.
And when it reconciled the 1,400 accounts belonging to tribes, some $2.4
billion was determined to be “lost.” Yet tribal leaders who dared to ask how
the proposed Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management would address this
longstanding and unresolved issue were met with silence.
Any doubts about the Interior’s shameful actions have been shattered by a
contempt trial that convened in federal court this week. A senior and highly
credible trust reform official has testified that the government would
rather find ways to limit its obligations to Indian Country than come up
with a solution to the gross abuse of the Indian Trust.
Information and progress have been kept from Congress and the courts.
Millions and millions of dollars have been spent, with nothing to show for
it. Decisions have been made, ignoring the wishes of Indian people.
“Does that sound like what a trustee does to help a beneficiary?” asked U.S.
District Judge Royce Lamberth.
“No, your honor,” responded Tommy Thompson.
“No, it doesn’t, does it?”
“No, your honor.”
It has long been clear the trust is broken. But Secretary of Interior Gale
Norton’s pledge to “listen” at today’s session isn’t enough.
She must throw herself on the mercy of the court and Indian Country in order
to stop the sham that has unfolded before her very eyes.
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