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BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — After the slew of executive actions from President Donald Trump during his first days in office, local Native tribal communities are responding in a multitude of ways.
“I think everybody has concerns with the new administration coming in and the way that things are operating right now, obviously a lot of transition happens with every presidency,” says Tehassi Hill, the Chairman of the Oneida Nation.
“I think ultimately we really look towards every presidential administration, Democrat and Republican parties of Congress as well to identify that tribes are a distinct political entity within the U.S. and we have that treaty and trust responsibility they must uphold and that we’re just trying to work with them to better assist us in upholding what is important to tribes across the country.”
Hill says the Oneida Nation is going into the Trump presidency with a non-partisan approach, as they always aim to do.
“I think that Oneida Nation has taken on for quite a long time the non-partisan approach because tribal issues are non-partisan issues and so we try to make sure we have that balanced approach and make sure we’re communicating regularly with our Wisconsin delegation whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, talking about our issues regularly so they understand our standpoint and what’s important to Oneida and tribes in general.”
Hill says the key to maintaining and building stronger relationships within the federal government, no matter who is in charge, is consistent communication.
In a statement this week, Hill expressed that sentiment along with assurances that Oneida leaders are following the impacts of the president’s decisions and new executive orders.
“The executive orders, although there were many, and we’re trying to stay on top of them as best we can, a lot of them don’t pertain to tribes, tribal nations, or tribal citizens for that matter. But just trying to lay that out and assure the community that we are aware of these executive orders and that we are paying attention to them and should there be a harm to tribes or tribal citizens that we would take appropriate actions to mitigate those harms,” he said.
Response from the community was varied following Hill’s message. Many praise Hill for remaining impartial, while others believe he should have taken a stronger stance.
Hill’s statement came before President Trump’s pause on all federal grants and funding on Monday, which the White House later rescinded on Wednesday.
Hill says that a halt on federal funding would have major impacts on Oneida Nation.
“The Oneida nation is quite successful in obtaining grants through the federal government so it plays a pretty large part in our annual budget, so a lot of the programs and services we provide to our community and tribal members and the land would be definitely dry up because we don’t necessarily have an unlimited amount of tribal cash resources to balance that negative impact,” he says.
In a Facebook live event on Thursday, Vice Chairman Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens said the Oneida Nation’s budget has $77 million from the federal government.
Yellowbird-Stevens and Chairman Hill both say that despite the funding pause now being rescinded, the Oneida Nation will be preparing for the potential of another similar order being placed.
“I don’t think we’re safe at all, I think they’re [the White House] is just readjusting on how to [allocate federal funds] in a better way, so that gives us time to really understand and get ahead of the education that obviously needs to happen at the White House in DC, remind congressional representation that they have a treaty and trust responsibility from before the constitution that recognizes us a political entity rather than a race.”
“They need to see our faces and understand the treaty and trust obligations that are immortalized,” Yellowbird-Stevens said Thursday.
Hill says that the first program that would see impacts from a federal funding freeze would be the Head Start program, which offers socialization, education, transportation, and food services to more than 100 children and families in Oneida Nation. He also says other food grants and distribution services could potentially be impacted.
Other nearby tribal communities have starkly different responses to the new federal administration compared to the one released by Chairman Hill.
In a lengthy post on Facebook, Ho-Chunk President Jon Greendeer called the President’s recent actions and policy changes brash and jaw-dropping, but adding that the tribe will work to asses potentially affected programs and services.
“The brash actions from the Oval Office to date are likely bringing a lot of excitement and elation to his extreme base but also bringing a wealth of anxiety and fear to a greater part of this country. We are not a nation of dissidents, criminals, and freeloaders. We work, we spend, and try to find these little parts that fulfill our spiritual livelihood when we can without harm or threat to others. Unfortunately, the narrative & profile of who Americans are has changed so greatly that we are now feeling the need to defend ourselves from the ill-intended forces of our own government,” the statement reads in part.
Wednesday, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians tribal council released a statement acknowledging Native Americans are getting caught up in ICE raids as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigrants.
It warns tribal members to be prepared for possible ICE confrontations and to have tribal, state, and federal IDs on hand.
When it comes to ICE raids, Chairman Hill says no Onedia members have been stopped to his knowledge, but says other tribal members in Wisconsin have been.
He says they’re working to figure out the best course of action.
“Trying to figure out again like what is an acceptable documentation for ICE, we don’t know, what’s that process, nothing has been put out that can assist our tribal members to make sure that they’re being able to go through this process should they get stopped and have the appropriate documentation, we don’t even know what that is at this point,” he said.
Speaking on Facebook Live Thursday, Yellowbird-Stevens touched on the topic, too, saying he believes a state-recognized identification is what tribal members should have with them at all times.
“If you don’t have a tribal ID on you, you’re still a citizen, that will be affirmed through state ID,” he said Thursday.
Yellowbird-Stevens also said tribal members can go to their offices to receive their Certificate of Tribal Blood if it helps quell people’s concerns or fears.
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