THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF
AMERICAN INDIANS
RESOLUTION # JUN-00-013

Title: In Support of the Development of an Inter-Organizational and Inter-Tribal Alliance to Coordinate National Indian Education Policy and Issues

 

WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and

WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest and largest national organization established in 1944 and comprised of representatives of and advocates for national, regional, and local Tribal concerns; and

WHEREAS, the health, safety, welfare, education, economic and employment opportunity, and preservation of cultural and natural resources are primary goals and objectives of NCAI; and,

WHEREAS, NCAI currently operates and in the past has operated successfully in partnership with the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) under a formal Memorandum of Agreement regarding education matters; and

WHEREAS, there are several other national Indian education organizations, including the National Indian School Board Association, the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, that advocate regularly for national education policy and other education matters on behalf of hundreds of thousands of American Indian / Alaska Native students nationwide; and

WHEREAS, these national organizations are considering the development of a formal inter-organizational and inter-tribal Alliance to better serve these tribal students on matters of common national education policy and issues; and

WHEREAS, such an Alliance would help to promote unity among organizations and tribes on national education policy and issues, and would help to facilitate efficient communication among the organizations and tribes on the same; and

WHEREAS, such an Alliance would help to preserve and protect successful efforts on behalf of tribal students such as Executive Order No. 13096, and it would help to initiate and advance other efforts, such as the development of a National Indian Education Blueprint and a Position Paper on Indian education issues for the new Presidential Administration;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that NCAI support the development of an Inter-Organizational and Inter-Tribal Alliance on National Indian Education Policy and Issues, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that NCAI work with tribes, NIEA, and other national Indian education organizations to carry out the goals of this resolution.

The foregoing resolution was adopted at the 2000 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska on June 25-28, 2000 with a quorum present.

_____________________________

Susan Masten, President

Juana Majel, Recording Secretary

Adopted by the General Assembly during the 2000 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska on June 25-28, 2000.