I chose Tribal Consultation with Federal Governments due to
the fact I work with GSA quite often in my job. I work in a DOD fire department,
which would sound like we would have nothing to do with GSA (general services
administration). But GSA is charged with most things that are influential in
the government including real estate property, government buildings, and what
we use them for; procurement and policies and regulations that are intertwined
with purchasing. In order to keep things ethical (sounds strange considering
all the trouble GSA has gotten into), they have regulations and policies that
have to be abided by all government workers in order to stay “in their lane” to
accomplish tasks (buying pencils, to purchasing properties). In these policies
they have a section just to clarify their role (legal and political) to the
relationship with Indian tribes. These relationships broaden to the federal government’s
significant protection activities, by mandating that there is federal
consultation with Native American tribes; and that they will be meaningful, in
good faith, and entered into on a government-to-government basis. So for part
of the discussion topic on blood quantum in module 3 (or Indianness); GSA would
be using these categories or percentages to help with GSA vehicle sales, or
even property donations from the U.S. Government. But for the most part, GSA is
using these policies to make sure they are following the already passed
treaties and practicing cultural sensitivity to try to accomplish their goals,
at the same time without diminishing tribal government relations.
Section
106 & Tribal Consultation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2016, from
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101901
The Bureau of Indian Affairs website was helpful in my understanding of your post. The question about who is an American Indian or Alaskan Native addresses the degree of blood quantum a person possesses that would enable them to be considered a Native American (FAQ, n.d.). The enrollment in a Tribe creates the identity of American Indian and entitles that person to all the legal and federal services the US government can provide (FAQ, n.d.). It is of interest that there is no single criteria federal or tribal that establishes 'a person's identity as American Indian or Alaskan Native' (FAQ, n.d.). This must make the relations your personnel has with Native American Tribes.
ReplyDeleteFrequently Asked Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.bia.gov/
last sentence cut off....
DeleteThis must make the relations your personnel has with Native Americans Tribes more complicated.
As I do work with GSA policy, I do not enforce or get involved with the contract work. For me its a place for purchasing equipment for the government, and requirements I follow in order to prioritize the companies we buy from (ADA, blind, etc..)
DeleteThank you for selecting a conversation that centers around Tribal Consultation with Federal Governments. I have worked for the Federal government for twenty years, my anniversary is next month. I started with the United States Immigration & Naturalization Service and currently I work for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. I can say that we have come a long way in our communication and relations with indigenous people as an agency. Within our own office we have a Native American Program Manager who is not only consulted during projects that affect sovereign soil and historic and cultural properties, but also strives to educate our internal staff, bringing in guest speakers on a regular basis, and showing movies at lunchtime such as Waterbuster: A Journey into the Past, a documentary film by J. Carlos Peinado & Daphne Ross. This movie clearly shows the impact of building Flood Risk Management projects like the Garrison Dam project in the 1950s. Sadly, in doing so, the Federal government and our agency laid waste to a self-sufficient Indian community, submerging fertile lands and displacing families of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. It’s important for us as an agency to understand and acknowledge our past history, and carefully plan and execute projects that benefit all peoples.
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