Sovereignty in the Blood: Cultural Resistance in the Characters of James Welch

Abstract

In June of 1992, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho, the Nez Perce Tribe, the University of Idaho, Washington State University, and Upward Bound sponsored a symposium titled and Natural Resources Issues. In addition to the representatives from the tribes and the universities, state officials, and scholars, personnel from federal government agencies as stewards of the nation's natural resources were also present. The issues examined included not only the regulation of federal public resources, but also the management of resources on federal trust lands. Of great concern from tribal perspective seemed to be the possible unilateral governmental development of reservation lands where at least thirty-five percent of the remaining natural resources in territorial United States are located. There were fears that the federal government would retreat from the acknowledged policy of tribal self-determination and return to a national colonial policy and a government resource grab. The tribal spokespersons expressed their concern about being able to determine their future. The underlying issue of contention was tribal sovereignty. After five hundred years of intercultural contact, the ability of the native peoples to manage their own future was still being contested. Central to the conflict was the definition of sovereignty. In addition to his university responsibilities, Cecil Jose, the Director of American Indian Studies at Eastern Washington University, works with Native American tribes, regional organizations, and the National Congress of American Indians putting on workshops to instruct people in issue and problem management techniques. Jose uses what he calls a cultural civics curriculum. which is a theoretical foundation for cross cultural communication. Jose teaches methods and processes of defining issues to try to avoid confrontational or adversarial approaches to problems because antagonistic approaches do not lead to situations. Jose's transformative situation is one that emphasizes common values and beliefs in cross cultural situations and allows for a mutually beneficial relationship. Jose's first step in problem management is to specify the central issue, such as the definition of sovereignty. Jose notes that in the cultural context of sovereignty, Euroamericans come from a secular, nation-state tradition while tribal-specific Natives come from a spiritual, community tradition. An example of Jose's tribal-specific community based sovereignty can be seen in Donald L. Fixico's Sovereignty Revitalized. Though the spiritual component of sovereignty is difficult to ascertain in this short analysis, the Fixico piece does show the Creek Nation's effort to determine its own cultural, economic, and educational destiny. In the study, Fixico shows a small Creek town in Oklahoma, Thiopthlocco, that is part of the larger Creek Nation. The people of Thlopthlocco practice their customs, speak their own language, and are becoming entrepreneurs. The larger Creek Nation is also affecting their future. They have a capital at Okmulgee, other communities throughout the nation besides Thiopthiocco, each with their own business adventures. One successful operation is bingo where the money from the games is put back into the community in the form of social services, a hospital with Indian nurses and doctors, and scholarships for education. has been revitalized for the Creek Nation.