This has become an important exercise for many reasons. As NCAI President Jefferson Keel says, “Tribal nations are its first governments – one of three sovereigns recognized in the United States Constitution. And our America is a place where each member of the American family of governments contributes to a prosperous future.”

That outline of how the world should be — at least from the point of view of tribes — is consistent and straightforward. Namely: The United States made promises to American Indians through solemn treaties. Those deals carry the force of Constitutional law (something that seems to be missed from those calling for a return to Constitutional principles.)

Keel’s message was before a Washington, D.C., audience at the Newseum but it was also streamed on the Internet before interested people, students in schools, and tribal leaders. It represents a moment when technology can create an instant connection across Indian Country so that ideas can be shared, debated and, possibly, executed. Read the Full Story at Indian Country Today >>> or Watch the Address >>>

In 2007 a group of Sicangu ladies (Rosebud) formed a group they called Lakota Women for Change. They petitioned the Bureau of Indian Affairs to conduct a specially monitored election to oversee an election amending the Constitution of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

Seventy one percent of the RST voters approved Article XI that the tribal court is a “separate and distinct from the legislative and executive branches of the tribal government.”One distinguished law professor wrote in 2010 that the “Rosebud Sioux Tribe had “insured its legitimacy by adopting Article X1. The odd thing is that the RST has never fully adopted this amendment to their Constitution.

As a portion of the new amendments the election also set a time limit on the tribal council members to two consecutive terms in office. Now mind you, this was a legal amendment to the RST Constitution. A law to be obeyed? Not at Rosebud because despite the amendment setting time limits to terms in office a member of that august body ran for and was elected to his third consecutive term in office. Read the Full Article in Indian Country Today >>>

A 150-year-old loop of rope, knotted into a hangman’s noose, sits in a climate-controlled case in the underground archives of the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

Some say it should be burned, buried or returned to the hands of the Dakota people.

Others argue it should be displayed, like piles of shoes at Holocaust museums, as a powerful artifact to help people confront the grim story of the U.S.-Dakota War, which erupted in Minnesota in 1862 and ended with the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

The noose, and just what to make of it, is one sign of the historical reckoning looming this year as Minnesotans wrestle with how to mark the 150th anniversary of one its ugliest, yet often overlooked, episodes.

“This will be a very challenging year — the wounds are still deep,” said Republican state Rep. Dean Urdahl, a longtime history teacher whose Grove City home is three miles from where the war broke out. His great-great-grandfather buried some of its first victims. “It was our state’s greatest tragedy.”

Dozens of commemorative events are planned, from a major exhibit at the Minnesota History Center to programs in classrooms across the state and cellphone tours along the Minnesota River, where the war raged for six weeks. Yet, in the shadow of it all are deep rifts over how to best observe the war’s sesquicentennial. Read the Full Article >>>

The primary focus of the website is:

• Identify and develop resources concerning tribal/state court collaboration & promising practices
•  Identify and develop resources concerning Public Law 280 tribal/state court collaboration & promising practices
•  Subject areas include: courts, law enforcement, detention, child welfare, and multi-agency agreements

Features of the website include:

• Tribal-State agreements by topic
•  Tribal-Federal Collaborations
•  Promising Practices stories and quotes
•  Resources on the TLOA
•  Interactive searchable map of agreements
•  Listing of all federally recognized tribes, tribal websites and counties, by state
•  Jurisdictional information

Upcoming features include:

• Tribal-State Court Promising Strategies Publication
• Public Law 280 Promising Strategies Publication
• Additional tribal-state collaborations in the area of Detention and Child Welfare
• Additional tribal-federal collaborations

The Tribal Law and Policy Institute welcomes your submissions of new information to add to this resource.  Please contact Heather Valdez Singleton for more information: heather@tlpi.org ; 323-650-5667.

Proposals for the 2012/2013 WPDG are due on March 26, 2012. Proposals must be received by the Region contact by 5:00 PM MDT, March 26, 2012, or if applying via grants.gov, 11:59 PM MDT, March 26, 2012. Proposals received after these times will not be considered. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages applicants to pay very close attention to the eligibility criteria in order for their proposals to be considered.

Projects must involve landowners who meet the EQIP eligibility requirements. Applications will only be considered for projects within Alaska. Priorities for Alaska’s 2012 CIG State Program are innovative practices in energy conservation and best management practices for high tunnel production. Pre-proposals and full proposal applications will be reviewed for compliance with threshold eligibility criteria; eligible and complete submissions will be reviewed by a technical peer review panel and scored based on objective criteria. Current Closing Date for Applications: February 24, 2012. February 24, 2012 is the closing date for pre-proposals. Selected applicants will then be required to submit a full proposal application no later than 4pm, Alaska Time, on Friday, April 20, 2012.

Native American Library Services: Enhancement Grants

1. expanding services for learning and access to information and educational resources in a variety of formats, in all types of libraries, for individuals of all ages in order to support such individuals’ needs for education, lifelong learning, workforce development, and digital literacy skills;
2. establishing or enhancing electronic and other linkages and improved coordination among and between libraries and entities, as described in 9134(b)(6), for the purpose of improving the quality of and access to library and information services;
3. (A) providing training and professional development, including continuing education, to enhance the skills of the current library workforce and leadership, and advance the delivery of library and information services; and
4. developing public and private partnerships with other agencies and community-based organizations;
5. targeting library services to individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, to individuals with disabilities, and to individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills;
6. targeting library and information services to persons having difficulty using a library and to underserved urban and rural communities, including children (from birth through age 17) from families with incomes below the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in accordance with section 9902(2) of title 42) applicable to a family of the size involved;
7. developing library services that provide all users access to information through local, state, regional, national, and international collaborations and networks; and
8. carrying out other activities consistent with the purposes set forth in section 9121.

See eligibility requirements for the Basic Grant. Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages are eligible to apply for the Enhancement Grant only if they have applied for a Native American Library Services Basic Grant in the same fiscal year. See program guidelines for specific eligibility criteria. Deadline: May 01, 2012.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Drug Free Communities Support Program

DFC is a collaborative initiative, sponsored by ONDCP, in partnership with SAMHSA, which works to achieve two goals:

• Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. For the purposes of this RFA, “youth” is defined as individuals 18 years of age and younger.
• Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse.

DFC grantees are required to work toward these two goals as the primary focus of their Federally-funded effort.

The DFC Program was created by the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-20), reauthorized through the Drug Free Communities Reauthorization Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-82), and reauthorized again through the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469). The latest reauthorization extended the program for an additional five years until 2012. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 Substance Abuse Topic Area HP 2020-SA.

Since 1998, ONDCP has awarded approximately 2,000 DFC grants, with up to 30 new awards expected in FY 2012. Grants have been awarded to communities from every region in the nation including rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities. Additional grantee information is available on the DFC website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/Drug-Free-Communities-Support-Program.

In response to feedback from tribal leaders, HHS has reformatted the ATBC.  The new format will allow tribes to provide feedback on national, crosscutting issues, regional perspectives, as well as tribal-specific concerns.  Most importantly, ATBC will allow time for one-on-one meetings with HHS officials on issues that are specific to individual tribes.  To pre-register for a one-on-one meeting time, e-mail a request that includes which agency or agencies you would like to meet with to consultation@hhs.gov.  All testimony for ATBC is due to the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs no later than Thursday, February 23, 2012.  As always, tribal leaders are invited to participate in the planning calls to develop the agenda for ATBC.  Dates and call in information for the planning calls are listed below.

Planning Conference Call Schedule

• Thursday January 26, 2012, 3:00 PM EST
• Thursday February 2, 2012, 3:00 PM EST
• Thursday February 9, 2012, 3:00 PM EST
• Thursday February 16, 2012, 3:00 PM EST

Conference Call Number (for every call)

Call in #: 866-421-8841
Pass Code: 6999396

As in previous years, the respective regional tribal consultations that take place in the field will be coordinated by the respective regional offices and with the tribes in their regions. The regional sessions will include one-on-one time with the regional directors from your respective region, as well as regional leaders of other HHS agencies.

Click here to read the NCAI Dear Tribal Leader Letter, here for dates and locations of regional consultations, and here for more information about the planning calls.

NCAI Contact Information:   Ahniwake Rose, Policy Analyst for Health & Education – arose@ncai.org