Elder advocates make presence felt at national conference

Insist that officials recognize Native American interests

WASHINGTON DC
Native American Times 12/29/2005

The head of the National Indian Council on Aging calls a recent White House conference an “absolute success.”

James T. DeLaCruz Sr. is the chairman of the council. He also serves as a councilman for the Washington State-based Quinault Indian Nation.

The National Congress of American Indians reports that DeLaCruz is an NCAI delegate that worked to lobby the White House Conference on Aging to acknowledge Native American issues.

"Including American Indian delegates in dialogue such as this is crucial in helping the elders of our communities address their ongoing needs and concerns," said NCAI President Joe Garcia. "The elders of our communities are instrumental in preserving our Native cultures and it is important their needs be considered in such high level talks."

The NCAI representatives were among 1,200 total delegates from across the U.S. who gathered in Washington for the four-day conference. On the first day of the event the Native delegates pointed out that among the 73 resolutions under consideration at the conference, not one recognized the unique government-to-government relationship that exists between Indian tribes and the feds. The upshot: The NCAI says the crux of the conference focusing on how to implement the top 50 resolutions voted on by the delegates was revised to include tribes among the stakeholders to be considered.

"Our Indian delegates along with allies among the larger…delegation consistently conveyed the message that pass through monies from the states do not reach tribes and that separate recognition of the trust responsibility and targeted monies to Indian communities is the only way we will be able to address the needs of our elders in the future," said Traci L. McClellan, Executive Director of the National Indian Council on Aging.

The council has been around since 1976, and their stated objectives are as follows:

-Enhance communications and cooperation with community service providers and other aging organizations that represent and advocate for Native American elders.

-Provide information and technical assistance for Native American communities to improve health care for elders.

-Network with appropriate agencies to maximize resources, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the service delivery systems for elders.

-Provide information, reports and expert testimony requested by tribes and Congress.

-Provide a clearinghouse for information on issues affecting American Indian and Alaska Native elders.