Tribes have hope for Obama

Published 10:45 pm Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The new president has been in office for less than 24 hours, but the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is wasting no time in making their requests for the next four years.

In fact, the commission, which represents 20 tribes in the Pacific Northwest, including the Tulalip, Stillaguamish and Sauk Suiattle tribes in Snohomish County, submitted a 16-page document with recommendations to President Barack Obama early this month. Among the requests are a bid for an extra $12 million per year for the commission, and the adoption of a formal policy supporting tribes in their management of natural resources.

For the commission and many tribal leaders in the region, Obama’s presidency signals a new era that could mean more respect for tribal treaty rights.

Ken Salazar, Obama’s pick for secretary of the Interior, told tribal leaders in the D.C. area this weekend that “first Americans will have their place at the table in the Obama administration,” according to the National Congress of American Indians.

During the election season, tribal leaders said they’ve been ignored for at least the past eight years, and that an Obama presidency could end that. According to Native Vote, the voting advocacy arm of the National Congress of American Indians, most Indians in western states cast their ballots in favor of Obama.

Many tribal leaders from Washington State attended Obama’s inauguration on Monday, said Tony Meyer, a spokesman for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

It’s not clear whether the commission’s recommendations will be considered by Salazar and other federal leaders. The document was drafted in partnership with four tribes represented by the Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission.

Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422, kkapralos@heraldnet.com.

Requests for Obama

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission’s recommendations for the Obama Administration:

1. Create an Executive Order reaffirming the government-to-government relationship between tribes and federal leaders.

2. Give an extra $12 million per year to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and an extra $4.5 million per year to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

3. Restore water rights to tribes.

4. Ensure that salmon and other natural resources remain available to tribes.