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Council Reports Council Member Paul McEvers
Council Reports Council Member Paul McEvers
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Report by Council Member Paul McEvers
Oki, The last few months have sped by as though days, so this BTBC Council Report covers what inroads have been made insofar as my contribution to better government. To reiterate, I campaigned on change in 2006, and since it takes 20 years for change to come about, I moved for radical change since none of us are getting any younger. Rather than hand present and future generations unnecessary trial and tribulations - our debt and history of dysfunction, I opted to get things moving, to do what was doable with then BTBC in place, together with incoming BTBC of 2008.
So it is truly a milestone that we, as a people, have reached - we will get to that highest peak in order to bring better livelihood, better business ventures, and better government reform, as with, better and consistent yearly per capita. The long awaited and radical change is working. North American Indian Days and Heart Butte Society Celebration take place as usual, but now with better financial accountability factors at both dance and handgame. Indian Days is the time when families come together. Each year we lose loved ones, therefore we as a government strive to make it more welcoming, memorable and comfortable. It doesn’t take a lot of money to put on a good Celebration if things are handled properly, as with handgame which is now run with new BTBC agreement mandating that all initial monies revert back to the Tribe, resulting in accurate pay-outs to those winning prize monies advertised. Yet there is discrepancy in contrast to dance committee which does not return initial monies. The handgame committee is being held to a different standard. With some adjustment, this could provide some equality, also, when comparing other western cultural activities, as with rodeo that the tribe sponsors
Rodeo, also, is to hand back initial monies, including the gate take and concessionaire from any/all rodeo(s) since the Nation pays caretaker salary. There must be a reasonable fee paid to the Nation pocket from those desirous of use of Blackfeet Nation facilities. Further, in order for one to sell rodeo concessionaire there also needs to be a sizeable fee paid to the Nation, considering that handgame concessionaire, alone, is known to take in more than$5000.00 on select night/days not affiliated with the North American Indian Days, per se. One can ponder just how much money rodeo concessionaire could take in, with better financial strongholds imposed, since one rodeo during the North American Indian Days Celebration during those peak days could mean more money reverting to our people, the nation. The new handgame building project is a long awaited reality. In 2009, I began the ground work for a new building to be used exclusively for handgame /traditional games with an adequate building to meet the need. No longer will handgame players be shifted from facility to facility, forced to strategize as to where to come together, since death and prioritized entities and activities took front and center for space available. I spearheaded project from start to finish insofar as drafting resolution, to justifying the need and handling passage through council, so that today, in 2010, it is a reality. Today, in 2010, the handgame center is to be erected…the youth and the Elders shall finally have a place of their own whether to meet or to practice traditional games. These are but some of the cultural events with financial strongholds that I have assumed, to create and to implement, as with BTBC support, of local educational entities, such as school district (s) and college travel to AIHEC with jackets and athletic gear, and to include waiving partial TERO charge of approximately one million dollars ($1,000,000) to Browning High School to further assist at offsetting expenses for the new High School. The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, as government, also provides financial support of additional endeavors, such as:
You name it and we fund it, attempting to provide quality of life to youth and adults alike. Yet there are those who would think other wise. Other tribes/bands in The above list so outlined does not pertain to all people and organizations, but in four years, I’ve come to see how the Blackfeet Tribe could evolve to a posture as one perceived to be most unfavorable and unflattering, more like a whipping post posture wherein the tribe is thus raped, figuratively speaking. And, since the rape of the nation and rape by the nation (Webster’s Dictionary defines rape as the violent, destructive, or abusive treatment of something.) has been known to take place, daily, in some form or other, whether it be in how the general public is treated from our personnel and from BTBC offices, for example, and how Elders are treated, with sometimes little courtesy and whom are expected to endure such indignities – indignities that no one person should endure - or to avail oneself of tribal resources, services, anything tribal…it is then used, perhaps sold, destroyed, used for personal gain, for sure not used for nation gain as a whole which is altogether assimilated thinking mindset, favoring oneself, not at all in keeping with Pikani values. I have come to learn that some have lost core value system and yet some were without those values to begin with, and so leave victims…all of us. As a government, the Blackfeet Nation is expected to be all things to the community with sometimes little gratitude and rarely verbal or print acknowledgement, because some choose to take it as a given, that these are entitlements. People quickly forget, and yes there is pain and anger, and behind that anger is pain…for so long our people have suffered, so we all have a lot of work to do…cleaning up image, credibility, resources, both human and physical, and extending to our environment-our homeland. In the final analysis, the reality of it all is that few people fundraise for events as in previous years to where those monies were matched by the Nation. I now explore other sources from which to draw support insofar as future sponsorship. So, although these are contributable and worthy pursuits of community members, we can be sometimes stretched rather thin… it is what it is.
Finally, though the Blackfeet Nation has a lot of cleaning up to do with image making and restoring credibility with our people, we continually support in areas that benefit us all insofar as participation that brings pride and growth to the Nation. Regardless, it takes a concentrated effort to clean everything…for present and future generations. The old adage could not be truer, “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem,” and these are same areas I addressed when campaigning in 2006. Still, this administration has managed to not only distribute a $200.00 Christmas payment towards livelihood, but is soon poised to make another $200.00 from your oil money from 3.5 million set aside. It is the people’s money; I fully supported the move. Some did not. At this time, also, we have earmarked 1.5 million towards a wholly owned tribal food store, an LLC with reasonable prices for the community which is for the people…and by the people. This brings to mind the most recent change at
And so it goes…it requires a super human effort to provide better government, considering what we have come to know as government from the old guard, and since we BTBC cannot be all things to all people…we will not unroll our sleeves just yet, not unless and not until we have better government framework and foundation from which to operate. We owe it to our selves - we owe it to present and future generations to stand firm with what reform and structure has begun… the goal to climb that highest peak - we are getting there - and we will get there. Though we have somewhat arrived when it comes to better financial accountability …we are still a work in progress. It will ultimately mean better honed watch of tribal money so that it go towards bettering living conditions for enrolled reservation members, and enrolled members living off, and whether it be creating employment or sustaining that employment, nothing less. This concludes my tribal website report to enrolled Blackfeet Members, with my restating ongoing efforts to assist incarcerated tribal members and descendants, insofar as freedom of worship in our traditional manner. Although two court levels have not now ruled favorably towards our people, we must follow process to all levels of court with appeal before moving to federal court. It is there that we will have a better chance since it is discrimination to deny religious freedom to any one individual, certainly, but more important to our Indian peoples who do not derive rights from the U.S. Constitution or its Bill of Rights, but whose rights reside in prior, hence inherent (natural) rights of sovereignty to govern and live on our original homeland, and whose indigenous rights are so outlined in the Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1968, federal legislation, yet we as a people are forever challenged.
It may go to Supreme Court where it can be heard, but I think not, since it could be kicked back to federal court and ruled upon instead, and God willing, in our peoples favor.
Until then, see you at the polls for both primary and general elections… Paul J. McEvers
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Consequently, I found a way to do it - to fast forward - the work began and the house cleaning continues. For the first time in 75 years the BTBC is truly cleaning up financials to where there will be surplus monies available to new and incoming BTBC Members. In the past, departments were without specified budget line items because budgets had been stripped by outgoing BTBC Members for what was considered priorities. This made workplace conditions intolerable in some instances.