Civics, Treaties, and the Law of the Land with Scott Davis

Well since I’m in government all these obviously is about our treaties and our constitutions and how tribes came to be so it’s really civics is what it is you know and I know it was a last session that there was a bill passed basically for civics to be taught in the public school systems and a lot of our tribal leaders said okay civics for America great what about civics for in the country you know that includes the treaties that includes you know where tribes and tribal nations exist in our in our US Constitution so the law of the land you know when it comes to Native Americans has always been you know our truth you know and you have to treat us as such so that whole civics to me is very important in essential understandings when it comes to treaty and again going back to what is it now there were six more tribes that were just signed off federally recognized here in Virginia here recently 570 some tribes anyway I forgot the number and every tribe is different some tribes have similar treaties struck with the United States government some are entirely different but tell me one government entity a state or a group of people in this country that has a treaty in law and Constitution with the United States government there is no except us so that’s the civics behind you know this curriculum that’s that’s a very important tribe sovereignty a nation within a nation you know able to do what you know so people really scratch their head when he when they think of tribes and you know but there’s more to that and that relationship that special relationship with the United States is again unlike any other in this nation so actually asks a question that we get this all the time and I still don’t when you think about sovereign nation and the nation to nation relationship the tribes have how does that work living within like can you describe that a little bit about how so you’re still within the United States of America no oh yeah and I lived that every day so that relationship is very unique it can be very complex so when you’re talking about say staying in rock or Turtle Mountain has a relationship that treaty relationship with the United States government you know really to do three things your health care law forcement social programs education and so forth you know that’s really the big three or four areas that these treaties cover right that in a sense will we will have a trust responsibility somewhat take care of you in lieu of taking your land right putting on this reservation here’s what we’ll do in return right so that certainly has ebbed and flowed in and over the years and you know the last since I’ve been paying attention and stuff it’s it’s very it’s always underfunded it’s always half of what should be given to our tribes under that trust responsibility under that treaty so now you come in with us as a state now you’re an Arri now you’re a States citizen right live in a state living in the county what does that mean as a state citizen and what law do you comply with well I’ll depend on where you live right reservation within the boundaries you’re pretty much subject to tribal law depending on certain things here and there for reservation for like myself and Lucy who are we’re kind of urban Indians right we’re subject to state law you know city law so forth just like anybody else but we do have you know that federally recognized identification card much like a state ID that our tribe issues so that says I am a I have a I am a name a number obviously and I am a member of this of this tribe much like a you know I’m a member of the state of North Dakota the same thing so but the other thing is blood quantum you know which is a really unique thing that probably I don’t how much essential understandings will cover that and at what level grade level open you know when you talk about blood quantum that can get very complicated quickly but again it’s a government formula you know in a in a fraction formula you know whether you’re half or a sixteenth or three-quarters I mean you know it’s very that bugs me you know because you know government is telling you that you’re only a quarter Native American or you’re only a quarter you know look hotel you’re only a third you know Chippewa I mean it’s like who how can they determine that because the other the only other two species that determine blood quantum are dogs and horses and in us I mean for me in my heart I’m full blood I’m full below Dakota and I’m a full blood you should knob a Chippewa man that’s that’s what I believe and I tell my kids the same thing you know so that’s a very complicated very political issue when it comes to blood quantum tribes you know they debate upon it people want in you know people but probably the biggest was that you can only be belong to one tribe you can only be enrolled in one tribe and that’s why I say I’m a descendant of the term aunt Benna trip was so but again that was those are things other issues that you know you can you can get in the weeds very quickly and have debates have you know long conversations about you know what it means to be a tribal nation travel citizen a US citizen a state citizen in go on and on so voting rights voting on the reservation authorization that’s a hot topic you know whether as if for me as a tribal member I can vote I go home and vote for my trouble chairman and so forth some tribes a lot some don’t so there’s a lot to it you know we could sit here and talk holiday about government stuff which I obviously I’m involved with so