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Monday, dozens of tribal leaders and state lawmakers came together at the Senate Building in St. Paul to build relationships and to talk about shared priorities.  

Sovereignty Day was full of opportunities for leaders of the 11 tribal nations in the state to visit with members of the Minnesota House and Senate — an opportunity to share, an opportunity to sit across the table and learn from one another.  

The day started off with a small gathering outside on the grounds of the Senate Building. Singers from the Red Tree drum group from the Lower Sioux Indian Community opened with a flag song and a song to honor veterans.  

Lakota elder Jerry Dearly gave an invocation. 

“You’re here for the people,” Dearly said. 

Organizers of the day’s event say this is the first time tribal leaders and legislators have gathered at the Senate Building.  

Inside the Senate Building, tribal elected leaders and state lawmakers participated in a welcome panel. Behind them, the flags of tribal nations stood next to the U.S. and Minnesota flags — a symbol of the work tribal and state governments have done together over the past several years. 

Several of the tribal leaders around the dais had been elected this past year. 

Ashley Cornforth was among those recently elected. Cornforth is the secretary-treasurer for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. 

Cornforth said tribal sovereignty cannot be a “one-size-fits-all” approach to working with tribal nations. 

“The state must recognize that each of us as tribal leaders have unique duties and responsibilities to best serve our own communities and our own members,” said Cornforth. “Respect for tribal sovereignty means understanding or at least acknowledging those differences and working with each nation individually.”  

Sovereignty Day began several years ago when former DFL Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, then a DFL lawmaker, wanted to build on past efforts to grow relationships between tribal leaders and legislators. 

Hortman called it “legislative consultation.” Hortman explained that the idea behind legislative consultation is that while the governor’s office has exercised a government-to-government relationship with tribal nations, the state legislature also has a responsibility to consult with tribal leaders.  

Present at Monday’s events were state leadership from both parties, and more than a dozen tribal leaders spoke on panels throughout the day. 

Tribal leaders addressed several issues throughout the day. The Prairie Island Indian Community’s chair Grant Johnson raised concerns about the state Legislature introducing a bill that would effectively lift a moratorium on nuclear power.  

Johnson reminded those in attendance, the Prairie Island Indian Community is only several hundred feet away from the nuclear power facility near Red Wing. 

“Due to increased demand and the need for reduced carbon emissions and energy production, there is a renewed push for nuclear energy. And we understand how important this is,” Johnson said. 

Johnson stressed that the community at Prairie Island is looking for information about the future of the plant. 

“Our members, they’re struggling. Our community members ask these questions,” Johnson said. 

Like other tribal leaders, Johnson emphasized the need for state lawmakers to consult with tribal leaders. The topic of consultation was raised many times during the day. 

Another leader said consultation goes beyond coordination or sharing information. April McCormick, a tribal leader from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, asked her leaders in state government to “reach out early and reach out often.” 

Throughout the day, tribal leaders also turned to address the effects of the Trump administration’s recent cuts to federal funding and how those cuts might impact tribal nations. 

During the morning session, chair of Upper Sioux Indian Community Kevin Jensvold said his tribe has lived through several hundred years of federal policymaking and dozens of presidents. 

“We’re not going to live afraid of what’s happening today or yesterday,” said Jensvold.  

“Our ancestors sacrificed too much ... we’ll be mindful of what goes on at the federal level, but we’re not going to live in fear of what may or may not happen. You know, we’re fortunate to be strong-willed and I want to keep it that way.” 

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith spoke during a late-morning panel about the effects federal funding cuts on tribal nations. Smith serves on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.  

The democrat spoke specifically to the impacts of cuts to Medicaid funding and the effects on individuals covered by Medicaid in Minnesota. 

“This is not a question of interpretation; it is a question of math. They are proposing $880 billion in cuts to health insurance that covers, this is Medicaid, Medical Assistance to people in Minnesota, that covers roughly 36 percent of Native people that aren’t elders and therefore would be covered by Medicare,” said Smith. 

Tribal leaders also brought up specific issues relating to funding concerns for health care through the Indian Health Services and funding for education through Bureau of Indian Education.  

Red Lake Nation chair Darrell Seki Sr. held up the pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution he carries with him and said he believes funding cuts at various federal agencies is a violation of the treaties Red Lake Nation signed with the U.S. government.  

Seki asked lawmakers to understand that shortfalls in funding, along with years of underfunding for health care and public safety, are deeply felt at Red Lake. 

“They made a promise, now keep it,” said Seki. 

Melissa Olson

Author

State lawmakers and dozens of tribal leaders from across Minnesota met in St. Paul Monday to build relationships and to talk about shared priorities.

Tribal leaders and state lawmakers come together for Sovereignty Day at the Capitol

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