Working for a tribal corporation

I've grown old with the tribe just north and east of Backwoods. In fact, your place was part of their old stomping grounds.

I first met my neighbors as they declared war against the United States and put up a toll booth on the highway. Oddly enough, that act finally got the attention of the U.S. government and the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho was finally granted a reservation…all ten acres of it. They owned little or no property, alcohol abuse was rampant, Indians were always the last ones hired for the most menial job.

Yep, they applied for and got grants from the U.S., BPA and other entities. Each family got a house out of the original deal. The grants went towards a clinic, open to anyone regardless of skin color or ability to pay. They regularly apply for grants to augment the money from their casino, which if I recall, was the first one in Idaho, to add to the fish hatchery where they are instrumental in studying and repopulating the Kootenai River with Sturgeon and Burbot, both ancient fish species whose population was decimated with the introduction of Libby Dam.

Today, they are one of the biggest employers in the county and are constantly in expansion mode. Because of their income, most of them don’t have to work for minimum wage and many of them are investing their income in other small businesses around the county and employing more folks. Others have the time to work on the arts and crafts that so many of them are seemingly blessed with talent.

Since the casino went in you no longer see drunk as skunk Indians hanging out in the all night laundry or sleeping it off in a snow bank.

Bit by bit they are recovering their pride and forgive me if I personally think that they are entitled to it. If they stumble a bit, and show a bit of racism, all I have to do is remind myself who their role models were.

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Iraq casualties
3,410 American deaths to date in Iraq
25,345 Americans wounded in action to date (your guess how many have died since and been uncounted)
$424,000,000,000 to date

WILLOW- your the greatest!
I didn't want to set off a bunch of squeeling and squalling on the issue. I saw that in the late 70's and very early 80's I personally witnessed. Having to hire a certain number of indian's to the number of white's or other hires. The indian's had no set time to work, didn't have to work all the time at "work", they always were on "Indian Time", and dared you to say or do anything. Also we had some of them send their relatives in to work for them!! We had to watch moving the equipment because someone might be sleeping under it!
The non indian had to show up on time, work until told to go home, not to complain too much. IF we had a native quit the tribal council sent someone out to take their place. 16 to 65 men, woman. Ever saw a woman try to lift 125 pounds? Work 12 or 16 hours and then drive 500 miles one way unload by hand 50 lb sacks (couple hundred) and drive back? We had some that did but not for very long.
And yes, I AM a native american, I just look Mexican!! shadowwalker

It is interesting the pathologies of oppressed peoples. They are not exactly going to be on "their best behavior" to set the proper examples. The country subsidizes groups with help and sometimes it is more destructive than helpful. However, the damage is already done. It may not ever be repaired, because so many died and not enough people to recooperate the differences. How can you make up for 400-500 years of oppression when there's already the head start. No way people can catch up. Even though the whites today are not the ones who supposedly suppressed the Indian nations, the whites in this country are still the primary benefactor of it. They have the land, they make the laws.
Now that Indians have laws of their own, it seems they are still entraped in a separate society. Unfortunately sometimes people can be their worst own enemy and hurt themselves with lack of proper work ethic, etc. Unfair is unfair. You cannot make up for unfair; if it didn't start out that way, it would not be like it is today. It is an unfortunate reality. Once you commit an indiscretion against a nation of people, you cannot retract it. You also cannot undo the Holocaust. That is the tradgedy of oppression. You cannot bring back the lives and heal the pain. You cannot just blow it off like a simple insult. South Africa cannot make up for having apartheid, even though they got rid of it. It cannot be forgotten, and probably never forgiven; just like slavery, the Holocaust or anything else. It is not just history to sweep under the rug. It is something we will all have to live with and pay for.

For those that have had experience as contractors with tribal entities, I'm curious if you also have experience with federal government contracts? Much or most of what you describe in your posts sounds exactly like stuff I used to run into in contracting with the USFS and BLM. Mismanagement from top to bottom, interaction with folks you'd swear never did a lick of work in their lives and were still pumped up the ladder. Rampant fiscal irresponsibility, employment favoritism, employment preferences.

Again, what was the role model that tribes formed their corporations from? The US government? Bureau of Indian Affairs? It's no wonder there are problems!

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Iraq casualties
3,410 American deaths to date in Iraq
25,345 Americans wounded in action to date (your guess how many have died since and been uncounted)
$424,000,000,000 to date

Bare, that's an interesting perspective!

(It always cracks me up to hear Indians gripe about the BIA, though, since everyone who's ever dealt with the agency knows it is mostly made up of the golden boys (and girls) who managed to escape the Rez and get college educations ...)

But I digress. Another huge problem with tribes IMO is the constitutions most were saddled with back in the 1930s under the Indian Reorganization Act. These constitutions created a weak executive branch and virtually nonexistant (in terms of power) judiciary, and a strong legislature (council) with very little oversight. A recipe for disaster ... the only reason it didn't implode sooner was tribes were so poor for so long, there was nothing to steal!

On my first day of employment in Indian country, my boss told me two things to prepare me for working on the Rez: the derogatory slang word for white people (so I'd know it when I encountered it) and the parable of the Indian crabs (the punch line being, "I don't have to put a lid on the bucket because those are Indian crabs -- if one tries to climb out of the bucket, the rest will get together and pull him back down.")

Sad, very sad ...

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

Ok, you have picqued my interest, what is the NA slang for white people???

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In Chippewa, it's "chimoke."

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

I have been a vendor for firewood to the Nez Perce tribe, for their tribal elders the past 3 years, and for the social services program before that, I did experience discrimination slightly from the BIA tribal police, who 2 years ago, came to the meeting of vendors and had all non tribal members who were vendors banned from cutting on tribal lands for delievery to tribal elders..... which wasnt a bad thing for me as i was not gonna be cutting there, anyway, but it does show how some idiots no matter what color the pigment of their is think. I mean really if i am supposed to deliever 2 cords of firewood to an elder who could go out on tribal land and get it themself if able, why not, if available allow me to have went there and got it for them.... mismanagement of resources no matter what level or agency you are around.

As far as being payed more or less, I recieved $120.00 per cord which was and is about even to $20 higher in comparison to the "real world" whre i was selling in at the same time, I do not know if this year i will continue to be a vendor or not, but most likely will be.

One thing i did do is I became an adopted tribal member of the Pembina Nation Little shell band last year, so I guess I may have a sort of tribal status.... we shall see.

William

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Upon the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who when on the dawn of victory paused to rest, and there resting died.
- John Dretschmer

Did buisness with two different "tribes" and will NEVER, EVER do business with them again. EVER. I'll leave it at that.