Guest opinion. LAS VEGAS – As we enter the month of November and Native American Heritage Month, I sit at the MGM Convention Center where the most recent annual convention of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was held this past week. When I was working on my first master’s degree in public administration, I had to teach my professors about tribal sovereignty. Since this time, over the years I have trained over 30 years of the annual Michigan Political Leadership Program fellows in tribal governance and sovereignty as a public service, while directly representing my people as Tribal Councilor, Vice Chairman, Chairman and back to tribal councilor for more than 22 years. year.
I have applied what I have learned about federal Indian policy and I would like to believe that I have helped shape the direction we take to truly be respected as tribal nations. I also served on the NCAI Executive Committee, including as First Vice President. I have testified in Congress more than thirty times, including on the Indian Country budget over three budget cycles in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
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I hope and pray for a huge Native Vote turnout. It is strange and many among the younger generations may not realize that it has only been 100 years since we were considered citizens, even though we predate all races and waves of immigration to our country. Although the Snyder Act of 1924 recognized us as citizens, we were not guaranteed the right to vote until the Civil Rights Act of 1965, and we continue to face discrimination at the ballot box to this day. After a week at NCAI’s annual convention, I’ve heard many testimonies about how our people living on rural reservations without addresses face challenges at the ballot box.
In my recent op-ed in Indigenous news online (October 26, 2024), I made parallels between two populist anti-Indian presidents. The similarities between Andrew Jackson (president of the Indian Removal Era) and Donald Trump are striking. Both spoke unfiltered and had clearly articulated platforms that did not support Indian Country. I realize that some will write off my warnings as hyperbole, but believe that the waves of forward motion for federal Indian policy will only recede depending on the political winds.
While for example the Meriam report from 1928 — The Problem of Indian Governance summarized the mistakes of the past and prescribed a new path forward, but as recently as the early 1970s the Nixon administration’s Department of the Interior had secret plans to end tribes. I know this from conversations I luckily had with John Mohawk (author of the Akwesasne notes) who told me that he personally witnessed termination plans during the takeover of the Ministry of the Interior in 1972. These documents showed that several tribes were in danger of extinction.
Consider the derogatory statements Trump made about East Coast tribes when he tried to block their federal recognition out of fear of casino competition. From day one, Trump as a candidate had a heavy burden against the American Indians. We look ahead to his first days in office when he ordered federal agencies to cut federal funding to Indian Country by 35%. Trump knows he lost the 2020 election in large part because of indigenous votes in key battleground states. A citizenship test is currently being applied to voters in Arizona, presumably to disenfranchise Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo voters. Fortunately, their tribal nations have mobilized to help their citizens secure documents to prove their citizenship. But imagine that 100 years later, the indigenous people of this country have to prove that they belong and fight for their rights as Americans.
From my Federal Indian Policy perspective, if Trump is re-elected, the tribes will face severe draconian budget cuts and I suspect lands will be taken out of trust for private speculative purposes, as evidenced by JD Vance’s comments during the vice presidential debate. I urge all American Indians to please exercise your solemn and sacred right as an American citizen and vote. Don’t let your ancestors down by sitting back and not voting. Honor them and prepare for future generations with your vote.
Finally, please don’t vote for someone who has shown their true anti-Indian self. Believe him the first time and don’t give him a second chance to end tribes.
Dr. Aaron A Payment is an elected member of the Tribal Council for his tribe, but introduces this Opt Ed and Federal Indian Policy expert. The opinions expressed are his own. He can be reached at aaronpayment@yahoo.com.
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Contact: apayment@nativenewsoline.net
