“It was exciting - you felt like you were a part of history, where you can be a part of change that matters, that we matter,” said Del Laverdure, a Crow tribal attorney who attended the rally on the Crow Reservation.
Obama spoke to a estimated audience of 4,000 people, mostly Native, who arrived at Crow Agency in Southeastern Montana. The event was open to the public at the tribe’s Apsaalooke Veteran’s Park. Crow elder Barney Old Coyote, one of the most decorated Native veterans in the country, provided the opening prayer.
When he took the stage, Obama announced he was proud to have been adopted n in Crow tradition n by the Black Eagle family. And he was also given a Crow name, which translates as “That Person Who Goes Throughout Our Land And Tries To Help People,” said Laverdure.
Obama’s visit to the Crow Reservation marks an unusual presidential campaign foray into tribal lands. Bobby Kennedy is arguably the last known presidential candidate to do so, campaigning on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation in 1968. He was assassinated the same year in California.
In welcoming Obama, Venne prepared a statement:
“This park is dedicated to our leaders who have fought for the United States in every war since World War I,” said Venne. “You know, during war time bullets don’t discriminate based on the color of your skin. Currently there are over 40 Crow men and women fighting in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan. We honor all those serving today, and we also honor Senator Barack Obama as the man who can bring them home safely.
“We want change in America today,” Venne said. “Instead of pouring billions of dollars into Iraq and quadrupling foreign aid to Africa, we need to spend money taking care of our needs at home, especially the forgotten first Americans.”
Venne asked Obama to join more than 140 other countries who have adopted a worldwide declaration to respect and establish human rights standards around the world.
The United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia - countries with significant indigenous populations - voted against the declaration last September.
“We want America to be the leader it should be around the world and we ask that you, Senator Obama, commit to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” said Venne.
As part of his campaign policy on Native issues, Obama has said he will create a tribal presence in the White House.
“We respectfully ask for tribal representation in formulating the policies that affect us—a tribal adviser to the president in the White House, regular meetings with tribal leaders, and tribal officials in key positions. We hope to see during your administration the first Indian Secretary of the Interior. It is only right.”
Crow Nation leaders asked Obama to visit their reservation where tribal communities reflect the living conditions experienced by most large, land based tribes in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.
The Crow live in the fourth poorest county in the United States. Tribal citizens depend heavily on the Indian Health Service for “life or limb” health care. And the unemployment rate hovers at 47 percent.
Venne asked Obama to consider multimillion-acre land concessions tribes made during the U.S. treaty making process, which ended in 1871. Tribes like the Crow gave up tens of thousands of acres in exchange for education and health care.
“In Indian Country, we want new and better programs in health, education, and housing,” said Venne. “We don’t want to have to leave our homeland to get a job or a place to live. We want to have places for our children and grandchildren to live.
“When we send our children out into the world for their educations, we want them to be able to come home again. We have protected our homeland for seven generations, and we ask your help in protecting it for seven generations more.”
Reach reporter Jodi Rave at 800-366-7186 or jodi.rave@lee.net.
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