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What will 44th President do for Indian Country, USA?
By Terrance H. Booth, Sr.

Given that the archives of the Office of the President, the U. S. Senate, and the U. S. House of Representatives began accumulating from the first President and first Congress with American Indian testimonies; that are even today are on-going and continuous concerning the crisis’s of the Indigenous population of America. It is time that the Tribes come to the full realization and sincerely experience what it really is to have to the fullest extent Indian Self-determination and free ourselves from the paternalistic hands of the federal government. The statements of our ancestors have been officially entered in the records and our current day tribal leaders have officially presented into the records the status of the social and economic conditions of the Tribes to the Office of the President, U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. In the archives of several Commissions on Indian Affairs, Special field hearing by U. S. Senate and during budgetary time of Congress or confirmation hearings of Presidential appointees further testimonies are still being offered.
Our tribal testimonies are legitimately put forth from the very first President to today’s President seemingly to deaf ears. Even before there were states presentations were given to territorial governors, the British, the French and Spaniards heard of the conditions and the state of Indian Affairs. While this country called America expand we saw Tribes being relocated, facing forced removal and Tribes watched the disappearance of their land base.
One needs to question what is being done to improve the quality of life for the Alaska Native and Native American population? Starting from this country’s first president to the current presidential administration the official records will show that the federal government has never successfully resolved the social and economic problems for Alaska Native and Native American population. Gallant efforts on part of the tribal officials through giving and presenting many testimonies as to the conditions of their people in all areas including, health, education, law and order, economic development and several tribal programs. Some of their efforts have been successful or unsuccessful much depending whom they are confronting and the attitude of the political appointees of the president’s cabinet members. From the point of view of most tribal leadership the social and economic conditions have not been fully met. One can conclude that the dealings with the Alaska Native and Native American populations on the part of the federal government can be labeled as a national failure. With all the presentations of the Tribes from this nation’s first president to today’s president one would think that the affairs of Alaska Native and Native American population would show some improvement. One would hope to see some successes taking place among America’s Indigenous; but the federal government’s own accountability through its Government Accounting Office in 2001 did a report: ‘In view of the high poverty and unemployment rates experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives (Indians), the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act required GAO to study federal programs that tribes and tribal members can use for economic development activities. GAO sought to identify relevant federal economic development programs and the extent of their use as well as summarize agencies’ assessments of the effectiveness of their programs.” This same report can be reprinted because what was studied still holds true in today’s setting for the tribes of America.
Our tribal ancestors spoke from their hearts, mind and soul many foreseeing future relationships between the United State Government and the Tribes of America. They spoke about the conditions and state of their people. Today’s tribal leaders still echo what was first spoken to the first president and still the same message is heard seeking to improve the quality of life for their tribal people.
America is embarking upon the election of its 44th President. Whoever gets elected will the newly elected president and his or her administration once and for all bring improvements to the quality of life for the Indigenous of American the Alaska Native and Native American populations?
Given that those reading need written proof that there are records in the archives of Congress, Special Commissions, GAO Reports and in the Office of the President here is a title of a “Report of a Presidential Commission on Indian Affairs, 1869: “The history of government connections with Indians is a shameful record of broken treaties and unfulfilled promises. The history of the border, white man’s connection with Indians is a sickening record of murder, outrage, robbery, and wrongs committed by the former, as the rule, and occasional savage out breaks and unspeakable barbarous deeds of retaliation by the latter, as the exception.
Fought by the government that they had rights entitled to respect, when those rights have been unsoiled by the capacity of the white man, the aim which should have been raised to protect them has ever been r3eady to sustain the aggressor.” (Great Moments in American Indian History, edited by Wayne Moquin with Charles Van Dren, page 104).
What is already in the archives of the Office of the President, U. S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives can be echoed even today. What will the 44th President do for American Indian Affairs will he or she still remain with the status quo and yet another commission is sought by the elected of Washington, DC?

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