Idaho Mountain Express: EchoHawk seeks to ‘rewrite’ U.S. history”

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Friday, August 7, 2009

EchoHawk seeks to ‘rewrite’ U.S. history”

New leader of BIA addresses Western attorneys general

By TONY EVANS
Express Staff Writer

The new leader of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Larry Echohawk, addressed the Conference of Western Attorneys General in Sun Valley Monday, calling for participants' help to "rewrite some chapters in this nation's history."

EchoHawk, a member of the Pawnee Tribe, said the most fertile ground for change is in improving state and federal government relations with tribes to solve social problems.

"Crimes, drug abuse and gangs know no boundaries," he said, but added, "nothing can happen unless tribes are willing to come to the table."

"As lawyers we are first and foremost problem-solvers," said EchoHawk. "We have the opportunity to solve problems that have been on the table far too long."

In 1990, EchoHawk became the first Native American in U.S. history to be elected state attorney general, for the state of Idaho. In May, the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the 11th assistant secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior.

EchoHawk's responsibilities include protecting tribal assets on 60 million acres of land, and promoting self-determination and education for 1.9 million Native Americans in 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

He oversees 10,000 employees and a $2.5 billion budget at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, which administers one of two federal school systems.

Echohawk said he has had many requests from native communities for assistance and likened his new job to "trying to sip water from a fire hose."

"It's scary, but in my heart I know I want to do what is fair and just. I want to not only be a good trustee, but an agent for change."

Echohawk told conference attendees that his decision to leave a comfortable professorship at Brigham Young University to accept the job from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar followed his rereading of Dee Brown's 1970 book "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee." The book details injustices perpetrated by the U.S. government against native Western tribes from 1860-1890.

"Rereading that book reminded me why I attended law school and what I wanted to accomplish for Native Americans," he said.

Echohawk, who was a law professor at BYU, provided his colleagues with a brief history of the BIA. He said a U.S. doctrine dating from the 1880s defined non-native U.S. citizens living around reservations as "the deadliest enemies of Indian people."

Under the General Allotment Act, EchoHawk said 90 million acres of land was taken from native communities between 1887 and 1934.

"The act was used to violate treaties by statutory law," he said.

EchoHawk said the federal government then tried to destroy tribes entirely by de-listing them from federal roles during the 1950s.

Despite this treatment by the government, EchoHawk, a former U.S. Marine, said Native Americans continue to enlist in the U.S. military in larger proportions than any other ethnic group.

"They do this because they love this country and because they are willing to fight for it," he said.

EchoHawk said only 50 of the nation's 562 tribes have been helped economically by casino gambling, and that some reservations have unemployment rates of 80 percent.

"There is pain, agony, unemployment, poverty and many vexing social problems in native communities," he said.

EchoHawk, who is a Mormon, said Native American leaders always begin and end political meetings with prayers.

"They are the most spiritual people I know," he said.

Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com

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The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing Inc.

MichaelM

08/25/09 - 20:53

The DNA issues and the Book of Mormon are well known. See www.ldsfreedom.org for the article: LDS One Word Change and Racism.

The Book of Mormon is a work of fiction. If EchoHawk will set his religion aside in his position, it would be much better.

Oso

08/11/09 - 18:33

Reply to an Idaho Boy
This is pertinent to the article because an American Indian who is also a mormon is leading the Bureau of Indian affairs.The mormons were driven out of every place that they tried to establish a foothold precisely because they are a cult. This is a classic example of a cult established by a deluded charismatic leader leading lost souls to his own version of how the world should be and making up his own rules as he went along. the mormon church is so powerful because there are so very many gullible people who are in search of some way to live wherein they don't have to do much thinking (plus they tithe so much to the 'church') Those that drove the mormons from their lands were not racists, how could they be? They were protecting their Christian way of life from polygamy and twisted beliefs. The mormons were very nearly wiped out by the U.S. government because they wanted to establish a separate nation unto themselves. They seem to be working towards that goal today as they have influence in so many western states. I fear that Mr. Echohawk will only help them to accomplish this.

Oso

08/11/09 - 11:49

The cult of Mormonism does not have a good history with American Indians and have used them for their own nefarious purposes in the past. Mormons murdered over one hundred men, women and children above the age of six years at Mountain Meadows in Utah and blamed the massacre on the Paiutes..I am Osage and have studied the history of the native people extensively. The LDS are not 'saints' by any stretch of the imagination, but are just another group of liars and killers that only know how to take, and only give to their own.

Reply to Oso

An Idaho boy

08/11/09 - 13:58

The LDS Church is not a cult. They have a great history with American Indians. Brigham Young taught that was better to feed the tribal brothers than to fight them. The LDS, like native Americans were un-consitutionally driven off their lands in Missouri and Illinois by mobs of racist bigots! This article is not about Mountain Meadows (an isolated incident) any more than it is about the wholesale slaughter, rape and pillaging of the LDS people by the pro-slavery, white supremacists in Missouri and the murder of their Mormon prophet. It is about a great Native American who served his country as a Marine and now is compelled to help his fellow Native Americans achieve equality. Stay on the facts and forget your false-piety and personal bias.

Reply to Oso

Sawtooth Jack

08/11/09 - 16:15

I've been at this Bible Rightly Dividing awhile, read Hebrew and Greek, the English translations are corrupted with false hoods.. Paul tells us if anyone, even an angel....comes with a gospel that differs from what he gives us....they are to be anathema....meaning cursed, Galatians 1:8,9 that takes care of Ellen White, and Joseph Smith, .religion has been in this world since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden.......why, how, the sinning angels following Satan...the only God ordained religion was what was given to Israel.
Mormonism is a cult, it's founder was a false prophet, Mormonism reeks of Masonry..Why is the mystery religions all seeing eye of Horus on the temple in Salt lake, Why does this Church operate under the Shetars law known as the Babylonian Ancient Law, which is today's Modern Commercial Code, Why does this Church operate with the Babylonian (501C3) tax exempt status...Why are Mormon children taught that going to Romes Inquisitions in the Middle East to kill Arabs is protecting Freedom to America, when we see the opposite taking place, Why has the Mormon Church accepted the Roman Catholic Unified One World Religion agreement and joined all other Churches with Rome under this contract..Stop kidding yourselves..
Paul warns of the systemized deception...this is organized religion....Ephesians 4:14 It is part of mans nature to want to know why we are here, and if we are created Who is our Creator ...and so that is why man can be easily led astray by false dogma..The ego grows and grows...sometimes into the monster of fanaticism...Satan is a very good student of human nature....he knows just how to appeal to every personality and so he has provided a religion for all of them......Paul also tells us that he, completed the Word of God at Colossians 1:25-27, so what does that mean? It means the evangle he was given which had been the secret ....hidden in God for the ages.....added to the evangel give to Israel...gives the saints of each administration the complete purpose of God as much as we can know or understand with our human minds...aided by His Spirit. There were not other apostles raised up,...there were no other prophets raised up, that work ended in the first century, that takes care of Masonic Joseph Smith....all we need to know has been recorded and preserved for the believer today. Satan is a copy cat....and he takes good people, well meaning people...to deceive religiously and politically..Our obligation while we are here is to study His word and learn as much as we can and when the opportunity arises to share with a fellow...Body member....encouraging them of these truths. But we cannot save anyone, that is Gods job....and if we speak to someone a couple times and they fight and resist...then we walk away.....because it is only by Gods Spirit that a person comes to spiritually understand His Word. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, Romans 8. Independent Scholar and of no Worldly Church.. His Bread you eat his Song you must sing..

Dine'

08/08/09 - 12:17

Mr. Echohawk, I applaud you for having the opportunity to make some things right in the BIA and BIE. Indeed only you can make change in the BIA and BIE. As for me, I am Dine' and my only sin was to truly help the Indian people. But my 'whiteman' supervisor and his US Assist Attorneys considered me as 'bad blood' for speaking up against outdated paternalistic practices and policies. I wish you all blessings of the great spirit and do what is right for the Indian people.

Terry – Omaha, NE

08/08/09 - 08:48

Natives are not "disgraced children"--not the Native Americans of today, anyway. True, in the Book of Mormon, God cursed the Lamanites with a dark skin for their disobedience, but he also promised them that if they returned to Him, they would become a pure and delightsome people. (And, by the way, a dark skin does not automatically signify a curse from God.) If the Natives were still "disgraced" as has been implied in another post, they would not be able to hold any positions in the LDS church. I had a Bishop several years ago who was Native American (Omaha Tribe). If he was still "disgraced", he would not have been called to that position of authority in the church.

Reply to Terry

Anon.

08/09/09 - 23:39

I think the Natives had "Him" figured out long before some attempted to rewrite history. The disgrace is the contamination and dilution of Native culture.

Reply to Terry

08/10/09 - 08:10

the book of mormon??? this is irrelevant what the book of mormon says...please...

IKG – Navajo

08/07/09 - 18:47

It is not appropriate for a Mormon to run the BIA. Mormons believe that Natives do not know their own history and are disgraced children of their god called Lamanites. Mormon senators are also responsible for over 37,000 children, 34,000 of which were Navajo, to be stolen from their heritage and to be brainwashed in Utah.
There is a fine line between religious freedom and being forced to acquiesce to foreign beliefs. I cannot condone Natives being subjugated to such religious-types like we were in the 19th century.

Don Penbridge – Fresno, CA

08/07/09 - 14:09

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