Head Start again

I realize that this has no real relevance to the issues of the annual National Indian Head Start Directors Association, in fact I probably mentioned this last year, but if you are a red-blooded American male, nowhere outside of a bachelorette party will you see a greater ratio of women to men. I suppose that would have its plusses and minuses, meaning it levels out. But I still can't help but let people know, because when you are one of the rare guys, it's kind of hard not to notice, or have pointed out to you.
If there is a greater ratio, then it is the ratio of non-Tribal leaders to Tribal leaders. Being one of only ten or so elected leaders amongst a conference of a couple hundred at least, one can't help but feel like a celebrity of sorts. Our name tags are decorated with a bold red ribbon stating "Tribal Leader" in gold lettering, equaling if not being more eye catching than the actual NIHSDA Board members themselves, who sport black ribbons with gold. During the opening proceedings, we are given special recognition, igniting the trend.
Unfortunately, I can only speculate on why we are treated so specially. My personal guess is that Indian Head Start programs have been lost in the shuffle of tribes, especially since the inception of Indian gaming, which has brought a whole slew of other issues that tend to interest the general public more. But Indian Head Start has been around a lot longer, before I was born even. Some might contend it touches lives much more than the benefits of Indian gaming, though such a contention would take decades to prove or disprove.
What I do know for certain is that those involved in Head Start take the job very seriously, almost singlemindedly. This could very well be the only conference I've attended regarding Tribes where the topic of Indian gaming was not even brought up in any of the workshops or speeches, ever. People here are very concerned with the welfare of future generations of Indian children. To them, it really is the future of Indian Country, and they might have a point.
In that regard I am often lost in some of the discussions, not having children nor any real background in early childhood education. I realize that needs to be remedied. At times it seems kind of odd that I am the Council member who has chosen to be involved with our Head Start when I am the only one without any children. According to one director from a Tribe in California, that is not entirely unusual; their Council liaison is also single and childless.
According to our last Federal review, Grand Ronde has a very well-run Head Start program, and that reputation seems to have preceeded us. As luck would have it our name gets peppered throughout the conference. We pay and host a feast at the Chinook Longhouse in Ridgefield, close to the conference at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion in northern Portland. Once again I am called upon to be acknowledged as the Grand Ronde messenger, though I say nothing. Really, our drummers and dancers steal the show, as well as the Ridgefield Wildlife Refugee, which I've known only in the winter, and is quite beautiful in summer.
Our veterans act as color guard during the opening ceremony, and our chinuk pre-school immersion students the closing song earlier today. I can't help but feel a little flush of pride for our tribe. Multiple people thank me for the dinner, and one director asks me if she could come over to see our immersion program. We've made an impression.
Twice I get called over to meetings reserved for Tribal leaders. They would like us to speak out at the upcoming consultations on the Head Start Reauthorization Act. They like having the directors and teachers speak and submit testimony, but once again, it seems to carry a lot more weight when coming from a Tribal leader. I suppose that opportunity will come.

Town Halls

I love debates, and for that matter, debating. That is not to say that there aren't times when debating wears me down. Nothing irks me more than a debate or argument where a person, deliberately or not, gets way off topic or chooses to confuse the issue, which I think sometimes happens more often in Grand Ronde than it should. But overall, if the participants in a debate know their stuff, are eager to win the debate based on the merits of their argument as opposed drawing applause from the audience (if there is one) or getting a rise out of the opposition, to see clear arguments laid out is for me kind of cool. I love seeing individuals making passionate arguments about what they believe in.
Watching the primary debates during this year's U.S. Presidential primaries was for me some of the most revealing episodes I've seen during any election. Admittedly, I only glanced at the Republican ones compared to how I followed the Democratic debates. But what I got from both is that these debates were a pretty good method of culling the wannabes from the real contenders. You could tell which individuals from both parties were really cut out to lead their devoted factions, and dare I say actually occupy the White House.
I must admit to being somewhat surprised by Barack Obama's refusal to meet John McCain for all those proposed Town Hall-style meetings. "Surprised" might not actually be the word, but rather "disappointed" because I've enjoyed what I have seen televised during this Presidential season. Plus I think you should never back down from a challenge put forth by your opponent, especially when the stakes are about as high as they get in this country. But, that's just me.
When I ran for Tribal Council in 2004, along with Buddy West and Angie Blackwell, we held a number of our own Town Hall meetings, in Eugene, Portland, Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, and even La Center. Sometimes the turnout was low, but other times we had some packed rooms, on one occasion almost nobody but complete strangers to me. They were however, concerned and gave up a couple of hours during a weekend to come and listen to our spiels. I am not sure how much of an impact those meetings had on the overall election, as we all were elected rather easily, but what I do know is that the following year in 2005 there must have been at least 12 or so of those meetings held. A number of them were part of the PPP campaign that helped elect Kathleen Tom and Wink Soderberg, the others were organized and attended by individuals who, quite honestly, seemed to be mimicking what we did in 2004.
What I can't quite understand is why those meetings died out after those two years. Did people just lose interest or did the brains behind the meetings hang up their hats? I can't really say. It might be both.
I write all this because today a Tribal Council Record of Instruction was brought forward to basically axe the Candidates' Forum this year in Grand Ronde. I am not entirely clear on the thinking behind this, but it just doesn't seem right. Granted, attendance at the annual Candidates Forum has hardly been encouraging, but I thought last year we had a pretty decent turnout, even though it was a Thursday night. And the fact that candidates were not actually allowed to debate each other seems to have been a common though legitimate gripe.
It could all be a ruse, just a one-year deal to get through what might be a tough election. If what I've been told is true, then there are definitely one or two people running for Council this year who the last thing they would want is to be asked questions, especially about the past. Sometimes the best way to avoid a situation is to eliminate it altogether. Truth is I don't know. I can only guess. The real issue though is, am I the only one who will miss it?

Fair Time

During our Public Affairs update last Wednesday, an interesting issue came up. I am not sure if anybody has noticed, but the "Tilixam Wawa", which used to come out monthly, is suddenly being published much less frequently. That issue we discussed was of course whether or not to have one last issue before the election, as between setting a deadline, laying out the actual issue, and sending it off to the printers we would be pushing close to the election period, and somewhere, it seems in some people's minds, it is written that anybody who is a candidate for election should not appear in any Tribal publication lest that present an unfair advantage.
It was pretty clear from the update that a couple of Council members at least remembered, and were upset by, the fact that I appeared on the front page of the "Smoke Signals" during the election. In their view, the supposed policy that prohibited appearance of candidates had "gone out the window" with my photo from the signing of our Hunting & Fishing Rights proclamation. Whether that meant incumbents are now free to use the publications for campaigning or they were just venting I don't know. What I do know is that is does raise a legitimate question about how Council members can use what is supposed to be a tool for communication to the membership.
At the January General Council meeting, Angie Blackwell raised the new (and oddly unwritten) policy of Council censorship of the "Wawa", and she, as well as myself and Buddy West, were basically accused by a sitting Council member of using the publication for campaigning. That accusation would be repeated at the February General Council meeting specifically targeting me. Now the person lobbing the accusation has pretty much made it known who on Council they are loyal to, and who they would work to help un-elect. But that does not take away from the legitimacy of the topic, and I write this in the context of observing that a fellow Council member who has been less than diligent about submitting articles to the "Wawa" is intent on getting one in during this final stretch. I suppose they must be given the benefit of the doubt, because I think we have to be fair and open-minded in all this. On one hand this Council member could be re-elected and suddenly realize that communication is important, and try to have an article of pertinence in every issue, a practice I've tried to make habit. Conversely, they could just make every article a lead-in to their campaign, in which case it really could be construed as abuse of resources. We'll just have to wait and see.
I wonder though, what would be a fair and equitable policy, and more importantly, who would be charged with enforcing it. Statistically, incumbents on average usually have a clear advantage, provided they aren't lame ducks. Getting excessive coverage and a free platform for their candidacy only adds to the advantage, in fact, if the governing body controls all avenues of communication, they could virtually drown out the hopes of any challengers; they could practically render any opposition invisible by omission. If you read about government-controlled press in foreign countries, particularly those who would have the outside world believe they are a democracy, that is often how regimes stay in power.
The Federal Communications Commission actually has laws regarding that kind of behavior, especially with radio and television. They are informally called "Fair Airtime" rules. A broadcasting station can get in trouble for refusing access to a candidate. Unfortunately, we don't have an FCC in Grand Ronde, and I don't see one being formed any time soon.
Supposedly we are to have a meeting to discuss developing a policy. I am not sure what we'll do. Complete control of anything is never readily relinquished.

Community

Overall, I don't really do well at funerals. This is especially true when I knew the person well. I've rarely cried over the last ten years, but that doesn't stop me from getting teary at some of the more moving funerals we've had.
The point of my post here is not to be depressing but to be the opposite. But after attending a funeral last week I really feel the urge to write this, as short as it will be. On observation I've made over the last two years is that we seem to be having more funerals. But on further thought, I doubt that we've had more funerals, but really that the services are getting more attention. Quite a few of them are held at our Tribal gymnasium, and others are St. Michaels. In my time on Council, the level of aquaintence I've had with many of these departed friends ranges from just that, aqcuiantence, to good friend.
I want to say that I am proud of how close-knit our Tribal community has become over the last few years. Nowhere is this more evident than when we all say good-bye to a fellow Tribal member or community resident. Funerals are events. People speak and remember fondly. They meet afterwards and feast together. Daily events are put on hold and large crowds amass to say good-bye, regardless of how well or not well they knew the departed.
It takes years to get to know everyone here in Grand Ronde, in fact I don't even know if such a thing is possible. But to what degree we know or don't know a person here, there is a bond and sense of community here that goes unspoken often. You see that bond when the community says good-bye. It is undeniable.
It reminds me of what a famous writer once said when describing in as few words as possible how life is in a small town. She did it perfectly in four words: You would be missed.

Understanding 24/7

I just read an article on blogging, appropriately. The fellow interviewed is a habitual blogger. He goes on to explain many of the nuances of blogging, but what he focuses on mostly is time, or rather how the hobby of blogging consumes so much of it. His is almost a daily blog. Much of what he actually writes is his own material, but on many occasions he just posts links to other websites, including articles that are pertinent to the subject of his blog, which right now I forget.
Right now I am also not exactly sure of how many readers I still have on this blog. The internet is a tricky thing, especially when used as a mechanism for communication. Like a daily newspaper, you have to have constant change. What people read today they don't want to read tomorrow, or in some cases even a few hours from now. That might be why print media is suffering at the hands of the internet. If people are trully hungry for news, and sports and scores are a good example, they can practically get up-to-the-minute accounts on numerous websites of their choosing. None of us should be surprised what a difference this has made in our country and world over the last decade. It has been particularly interesting to watch the presidential elections/primaries this year, as the polls change daily, one day McCain leads Obama, the next Obama leads him. An ill-advised comment is made and webcast and the polls dip. The effect of some information, it seems, it instant.
I question to what extent our own situation in Grand Ronde might change if we were subject to this kind of ongoing scrutiny. My personal guess is either the politics would be cleaner, our Council would behave better, and more members would be involved, or there would be a complete crackdown on the coverage, kind of like what we've seen happen in places like China or the Soviet Union.
I will undoubtedly sound like a broken record when saying this, but members would be very alarmed over what gets said and done on a daily basis that would forever change their perception of what they know about our Tribe. I don't want people to think we are in chaos over here, but once again certain incidents recently have left me at a loss for words. Nothing that would change people's lives, but the kind of things you have to at least shake your head at, if not in disgust then confusion.
It is funny that the general idea out here is that we, as Tribal leaders are 24/7, because we are not covered like other politicians 24/7. If we were, my own suspicions are everywhere Tribal members would be familiarizing themselves with YouTube. You see, we consider ourselves working 24/7, but not covered and held accountable for what we do 24/7. And while our meetings are generally open to the public, we rarely get taken to task for our decisions or comments, some of which can be doozies, outside of Wednesday night meetings or General Council meetings. It is the time away from those meetings, I believe that many of the most critical decisions or historical turns of events are happening. We just don't have the press corps to report that.
I really hope that one day we can webcast every meeting, and record every word spoken on the record, either publicly or in chambers, in front of only staff. Some day, I think, some historian will be listening to all of our work sessions, and Council meetings. And he'll laugh some times at what he hears.

Lady Washington

I haven't given up on my blog. However, the last three weeks have seen me more on the road than at home. This week I was neither. I was out at sea. A friend from a Washington tribe, the Chinooks, invited me to sail on the Lady Washington for three days from Newport to Astoria, Ilwaco actually, just across the Columbia. Our purpose was to get a feel for the "old days", and I mean really old--Wednesday in Ilwaco harbor we recreated the meeting between Robert Gray and the Chinooks from 1795, if I am not mistaken. Unfortunately, as I was down below in a canoe, I couldn't secure any photos of that event, which took place on deck (I was one of the subordinate Indians).
For anybody how follows the nautical world, the Lady Washington was used in Pirates of the Caribbean. It was the HMS Interceptor. There were many modern amenities missing, which might be part of the charm. On the other hand, going three days without a shower is rarely comfortable.

D.C. Days, again

Washington, D.C. is very very expensive. I would compare the cost of just being in D.C. with some of the more expensive places I've been fortunate enough to travel to, including New York City, Tokyo, and Switzerland. The cost of three days at my hotel is more than what I pay for rent back in Oregon. The restaurant I ate at with my fellow Council members had entrees which ranged from $28 to $100 for a five-ounce Kobe beef steak. The price only reflects the dish. The usual accompaniments, salads, potatoes, pasta, what have you, cost extra, as does dessert and drinks, which is not all that unusual. A pint of beer, something that I use to measure the costs of different places, costs at minimum five dollars, and if you like microbrews, like me, then you're looking at six maybe even seven dollars. Breakfast at my hotel is never less than $10 for the usual suspects--french toast, eggs benedict, eggs florentine, granola and yogurt.
Some people reading this are probably scratching their heads and wondering what on Earth I am whining about. But if you live in Oregon, which I am convinced due to lack of a sales tax must have one of the lowest costs of living in the country, then these prices are kind of steep. Not break the bank expensive, but complain on a blog costly. Really, that is what I can't help but think about every time I go to D.C., money. More specifically, how money is time and time is money, and everywhere in D.C. somebody is vying for both from somebody else of importance.
It may sound as if I don't like D.C. Truth is I don't. But that is not to say I dislike D.C. However I just see the pluses and minuses, the pros and cons of a city that is basically the eight-cylinder engine of our national government, with all the gears and mechanics to boot. There are though plenty of reasons to like our nation's capitol. For one you feel as if you are right there in the heart of everything of pertinence in this country. Cab drivers all seem to have their radios set on public radio or some news station. For a city with teams in almost every major sport category, I've heard almost no talk about any of them, even in bars and restaurants with games being broadcast live. Conversation everywhere seems to be about politics, during this week Barack Obama's pastor is getting more attention than anything, really.
That still doesn't stop me from carrying his red, white and blue pin on my Timbuktu bag. But that two-inch diameter discus draws a lot of glances, ones that I can't help but notice. Very few people say anything, although one Oregon representative with whom we met was genuinely excited about it. I might even say it was a major icebreaker, as his face and posture lit up. On the other hand, a couple of Hillary supporters find it fuel for jokes, telling me that is why I keep getting stopped by security at every other building entrance, ya know, because in supporting Obama I am basically supporting Muslim extremism. Speaking of security...
Many people don't know this, but at the entrance to almost every government building in D.C., at least the ones we visited, there are security guards and metal detectors, just about the same as in airports. I can't count how often we must repeat the ritual of emptying our pockets of cell phones, removing our belts, and walking through those detectors. Some times this is not a big deal, but if you are unfortunate enough to get behind a tour group, then pray you've got a nice time cushion.
What may also don't know is that a lot of these same buildings are connected by a network of underground tunnels and passages, some of them quite old. Not all of them are the walking variety either, there are some weird trams carting people in between buildings as well, roofless but with glass sides. I must admit these remind me somewhat of an amusement park more than our Federal government. In some ways I doubt that comparison ends there either.
Before flying to D.C. for this trip I stopped by Macy's and forked over a couple hundred clams for some new dress shirts, jackets and pants. I still don my chocolate matte Skechers when throwing the new suits on, which like my Barack pin attracts some odd stares, but given the amount of walking we do during these trips maybe I can be allowed a minor rebellion to make it easy on my feet.
The funny thing is that while it I feel pretty proud of myself for the step up in professional attire, an afternoon on Capitol Hill reminds me of how what is a special occasion for me is a daily endeavor for many of Washington's residents. The man that doesn't wear a business suit would really stand out here. I would like to know the total value of tailored suits walking around D.C. on any given day.
on second thought, maybe not. That whole money thing again...