Tribal Leaders Optimistic About New Administration on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Tribal Leaders Optimistic About New Administration |

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6/29/2009

The Great Plains Tribal Chairman`s Association met Monday on the Standing Rock Reservation where they got to express concerns to White House staff. Tribal leaders say healthcare, law enforcement, and education are the top three issues they hope to tackle with the help of the new administration, because they say the pieces are finally in place.

"With a president in place who`s lending a handout to Indian Country through putting Jodi Gillette in as Deputy Director for the liaison between the chairs and the president and councils across the country, Three Affiliated Tribes is very optimistic," says Three Affiliated Tribes Tribal Chairman Marcus. D. Levings.

Jodi Gillette is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and is attending the meeting in her official capacity as Deputy Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the first time. She says she`ll be listening to concerns and relaying them back to the White House she describes as forward-thinking.

"You can look around the White House and there`s a lot of people who understand Indian Country so it`s not a matter of trying to get to the table now, it`s looking at solutions and new innovations to address some of those concerns," says Gillette.

And tribal leaders say with stimulus funds and better communication, they`re already noticing beneficial change.

"We`ve come a long ways even though it`s just been a few months and I just don`t see anywhere but up," says Levings.

They say it`s what the federal government has always promised.

Gillette says President Obama has recently made an unprecedented appointment who will handle Indian Affairs on a domestic level which she says is a major advancement for Native Americans.

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