Summary of Interview Responses

Summary of Interview Responses (by issue)

Non-native self-education issues
- Tribal sovereignty and significance of tribal treaties
- Endemic stereotypes (sports mascots, 'chief', 'squaw', offensive place-names, 'Noble Savage', Ben Sherman's list of 'Stupid Things' is helpful)
- NA rights (religious freedom, water rights, land rights, mineral rights, self-gov't, legal and political jurisdiction, etc…)
- Acquire accurate knowledge of tribes' culture/religion/economic statuses (500 federally recognized tribes)
  - Acknowledge intra-tribal cultural/economic/etcetera differences
    (don't homogenize 'Indians')
- Contemporary legal, economic, and political status of tribes and threats to traditional tribal identity/authority/culture
- History of Native Americans from non Euro-centric bias/source.
- Learn about NA organizations in local community and tribes/reservations in own state
  - (I bet that few Coloradoans know about Ute reservations; most
    probably assume existence of Indians 'somewhere' in CO because
    state is in the 'West')
- Assimilationist practices and policies
  - State and federal education
  - Missionizing
Support Constitutional provision to acknowledge and detail unique and special relationship between the federal government and tribal governments.
- Support through monetary donations to legal organizations (NARF, National Indian Justice Center, Indian Law Resource Center) and political advocacy (call elected federal representatives)
Traditional education initiatives
- Donate money to purchase culturally relevant learning materials to colleges and public schools (language/traditions preservation and education, language instruction, etc)
- Donate money for academic standouts to attend traditional schools or for those who seek further education as a means to contribute back to their community (American Indian College Fund, American Indian Graduate Center, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, American Indian Science and Engineering society, Catching the Dream Scholarship, National Indian Education Association)
Humanitarian Aid
- Volunteer support to help food banks and coat drives.
- Donate money to NA non-profit health organizations (Denver Indian Health and Family Services, National Indian Council on Aging [?], National Indian Health Board)
- Child advocacy
  - Donate money to organizations focused on helping NA children (Futures for Children, National Indian Child Welfare Association, United National Indian Tribal Youth)
Environmental Issues
- Self-education (water rights, mineral rights, extractive economies, land rights, conflict w/ developers, Park Service, BLM, environmental groups, State Divisions of Parks and Rec)
Political Advocacy
- Lobby Congress and state legislatures about Indian issues
- Support Federal and State legislation that favorably impacts tribes
- Use vote as ally