by Amy Gould April 30, 2019

Two of the key questions we asked Hank Adams and Willie Frank to speak on for the Tribal Core class were:

How should we fund the work of sovereignty?

What major policy issues are on the horizon for Tribes?  

Hank spoke with the tribal governance students about the importance of critical thinking and becoming our own experts. He encouraged students to read and become knowledgeable about the contours of history. From the Magna Carta to today. Question the foundation of arguments being made about sovereignty, responsibility, title. We need to develop our own narratives. We need to believe what we should believe based on our teachings and not necessarily always defer to “experts” or slogans from the loudest leadership voices. We need to think about the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in sovereignty. We need to train young leaders and lawyers in our own concepts of sovereignty.

Willie spoke about the importance of remembering and knowing where you are. Where you are makes up who you are. He discussed the real impacts of salmon and habitat loss, water quality standards set by outsiders, how we can’t make a living fishing anymore, the over-development of freeways and military bases, the trust responsibility of feds in funding, and the importance of framing the dialogue = telling our stories.       

After their talk, Hank gifted the MPA program with 4 posters for all people to see. These posters are replicas of the signs that will be placed at the newly renamed Billy Frank Jr. park and trail at the Port of Olympia. We are honored and grateful to accept these gifts. Our current and future students will know the stories of where we are and where we’ve been so that we can see where we need to go