WORDS TO THE YOUTH

Good morning everyone, travelers, elected officials, honored guests, to the Anishinabe, and to our Indigenous brothers and sisters worldwide. On behalf of the Legislative Branch of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, I say Boozhoo, good morning! We all hope this day finds you well. So far, winter has been forgiving, the days are getting longer, the darkness is beginning to give way.

This is the 40th Annual State of the Band. The first State of the Band was in 1982, and today we begin the fifth decade of this Assembly. We all come here this morning to hear Madame Chief Melanie Benjamin and Chief Justice Rhonda Sam report to the Band Assembly their Annual State of the Band and State of the Judiciary Addresses.

Under Band law, their respective reports are to made to the members of the Band Assembly, which consists of District Representatives Virgil Wind, Wendy Merrill, and Harry Davis, with myself, Secretary Treasurer presiding as Speaker of the Assembly, on this second Tuesday of each calendar year.

I have a few things to say before calling to order the first session of the 21st Assembly. It’s the young people I had in mind while thinking about what to say. And I do this because along with common uncertainties that all youth face, our Anishinabe youth are facing a world where the meaning and identity of our history and culture is just not there.

The greater media and the educational systems have been a danger to us and have tried to systematically destroy Indigenous peoples, our language, and cultures. This is the world our youth is facing, where the crises that face all people today like drugs, violence, and suicide are disproportionally so much higher among Native communities.

Our youth. You are strong and smart.

So, to the younger people, what are we doing here? Where is our place in all this?

Sovereigns are Nations

There are 11 recognized tribal sovereign nations within the territory of the Sovereign State of Minnesota. During Sovereignty Day at the State Capital in March of last year, there were leaders from all 11 tribes and leaders from the State of Minnesota in a room one afternoon. I realized that among the 13 sovereigns in the room that day, the youngest sovereign is the State of Minnesota, next youngest is the United States of America, and the oldest sovereigns by far in this territory were the 11 tribal nations. To the young people here, you are part of these oldest sovereigns. We’ve been on these lands and waterways for a very long time — since time immemorial.

That day last March, the older sovereigns were continuing the education of state leaders because of an education system that lacks complete content on local history. This one-to-one education has been going on for hundreds of years.

My son, Shel Jr., told me one day that he asked his teacher at school why the U.S. Constitution uses the word Savages for Indian people? He told me his teacher answered, “Because of all the inventions and other things that were around at the time.” (Ok, his teacher was going with what he was taught.)

“Why do you think they used that word, Dad?” I said, “I think maybe they used that word to make us, and other people of color, less than, so they could treat us any way the wanted and still feel good about living up to the words, 'all men are created equal.'"

Shel said, “I like your answer better.”

Many people in this room have never visualized the concept of nations spread across this turtle island say one thousand years ago. Vast linguistic groups with dialects, nations within those languages, different tribes within those nations, communities, and villages completely filling this land.

So, to the youth, where is your place? Your place in all this is where you stand. And those 13 sovereigns on that day last March have a common connection that’s here today. But let me come back to that.

Legislative Review

Allow me please to update the youth and membership on three things about the Legislature, then investments, and I’ll close looking forward.

First, thank you to all the people I work with where record keeping, appropriation of funds, passing resolutions, and lawmaking are the product of a group of leaders. No one person runs everything in this Legislative Branch; we’re not built that way.

Parliamentarian and Clerk of the Assembly Darcie Bigbear, Deanna Sam, Deputy Registrar, Hannah Valento, Revisor of Statutes, Semira Kimpson, Legislative Coordinator, and welcome to Jared Miller, Staff Attorney. These are permanent employees meant to provide the institutional knowledge for future elected officials, making these people the Legislative Branch. In addition, there is Brianna Boyd, Legislative Director and Valerie Harrington-Wind, Communications Officer who serve with myself as Secretary-Treasurer.

Commissioner of Finance Mel Towle, Katy Radunz, Chris Waite, Joni Wall, and the OMB staff must be recognized because, regardless of days off or weather closures, the checks go out and business continues.

A special thanks goes out to Adam Candler and Joseph Jensen, whose paths have taken them elsewhere, and we miss you.

To all these people, my coworkers, I will remember this time of my life with great fondness and gratitude.

Now, to explain what’s happening in sessions of Band Assembly for the purposes of today to the youth.

Accountability

For those attending Sessions of Band Assembly or viewing the live-stream, there are established protocols that are tedious and repetitive: the Rules of Band Assembly. We are doing the people’s business. These processes combined with live-streaming shows the Legislature is committed to being as accountable as possible for each and every item that comes before the Assembly for consideration and approval by your District Representatives. Legislative Staff, including myself as Speaker of the Assembly, are there to provide the best possible support to aid the three District Representatives while carrying out their legislative duties. I really think the accountability has never been better and the acceptance of the Rules by the elected officials [enhances] this work. We have ideas to get better at this. There is always room for improvement, and that further drives accountability.

I will soon be calling to order the first Session of the 21st Assembly. What is an Assembly and what are Sessions? These terms give structure to the terms of elected officials and keep track of time. They allow for changes in power.

These assemblies, or “gathering of people,” are two years long; also the U.S. Congress is like this. In the U.S. Congress, there are two sessions for each Assembly, but here, there are four sessions within each Assembly. The four sessions here represent the four directions, four colors, and the four seasons, and those teachings within stories.

There has been additional structure added to the Sessions under Rules of Band Assembly by having no new business carry over between Sessions. This provides a new Representative a clean slate, so to speak, when taking office, and provides a set timetable to pass meaningful legislation to promote the general welfare of the people during each term.

The Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2014

To all Mille Lacs Band members, take the time to review your monthly statements from OMB. As part of monthly direct cash disbursements, the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act monies are part of the Amended Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, the value of an Indian general welfare benefit. Commissioner of Finance Mel Towle created the TGWEA Program locally, thereby taking advantage of the 2014 law making possible the added financial benefits to each Band member receiving direct monthly cash payments.

What does that mean? Many Indigenous peoples today were forcibly removed to remote lands away from historic prime homelands. Today, those areas are now populated with commercial centers where public tax monies provide benefits in public transportation and services. Reservations are a place to “put the Indians.” Yet tribes are taxed at the same rates. The TGWEA monies are a recognition of that historic situation.

Investments

Again, this position of Secretary-Treasurer and Speaker of the Assembly is about two things: Facilitating the lawmaking process by chairing Sessions of Band Assembly and being tasked with the financial security of the people. Concerning investments for the economic security of the Band, I will be brief for now. The Investment Committee has finished the first year of meetings, but there is much work to be done. The Band’s contracted investment advisor, Verus Investments, has begun quarterly reports to the Institutional Investment Committee. The Band’s investments, the people’s economic security, has never been as closely scrutinized with the best interests of the people as a priority. Being part of this first year and becoming familiar with the processes has been a life-changing experience for me and I will be forever grateful for this duty entrusted to me by you the people.

Moving forward, all elected officials of the Band will now have more clear information in financial forecasting than ever before. The financial course of the band will be done with eyes wide open. No excuses. That is what your Secretary-Treasurer is supposed to do.

Stories and Danger

Stories are good. When I was a young man, these older guys from different places were talking at a meeting and one man said, “Some people cast their knowledge. While others talk in circles.”

Stories. There are stories of runners that were sent out to speak to other tribes about things, getting to know them as statesmen. They were young and strong, had to know what was going on, and speak or understand different languages, and understand the world. They kept leadership and the people knowledgeable and safe on many different levels. They must have been exceptional people who moved into those positions. Leaders in training.

That’s the same way it is now when people travel, even though it’s sometimes made fun of, but the reasoning is the same. Those travelers are getting experience, becoming knowledgeable of neighboring tribes, and now the State and Washington D.C. The travelers are keeping the people aware and safe. Our nation continues to operate as it always has, there is continuity. We’ve been here since time immemorial.

Global Warming and the Wenabozho Water Story

Our youthful men and women, the strongest, fastest, and smartest, who were ready to fight and protect everybody long ago to meet all dangers head-on. Those same ones are going face-to-face with the dangers facing our people today — powerful drugs and violence. Many have perished. There is continuity.

Our youthful men and women are now among the strongest, fastest, and smartest who now seek the language and through language keep the stories and ceremonies alive one more day. There is continuity.

I heard an older guy say, “Just like each kind of bird was given the gift of its own sound and songs by the creator, so it is with man who was given the gift of their languages and songs." Which reminds me of a couple of older guys; my uncle Jim Clark and my Dad Raining Boyd. One was a teacher, the other was a truck driver, a realist. My uncle Jim was quoted as saying, “Without the language, we are descendants of Anishinabe.”

And my dad said, “Just because a guy talks Indian doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talkin’ about.” (They were buddies.)

Our financial investments may be economic security for the coming generations, but money can be spent. But there is continuity, a generational resonance in language and tradition.

To our young people, there are dangers ahead. There are many who refuse to acknowledge our presence as nations since time immemorial because they’re not learning it in school. That’s a problem. And when those people get into positions of power, our young and strong must run to meet them. Educate them like we have for hundreds of years.

And those people will keep coming like waves on the shore. We must not become complacent. We must cast our knowledge. The old people told stories where the young thunders are the loud crashing ones, while the old thunders are the ones you can feel more than hear.

My mom used the word Manido at different times to describe different things, expanding my personal understanding of that word each time. One time in particular, she called a panther Manido on a nature show she was watching.

My dad told me a story of the Bwan or Sioux woman who was in danger being chased by soldiers; she was told by a voice from above to make a drum and was taught songs to sing. He said, “When the soldiers came to destroy them, the captain of those soldiers disobeyed orders and said he wasn’t going to kill those people because they were dancing and having a good time.” The songs and dancing kept the destroyers away and the people kept living.

That’s the drum like that one sitting with us this morning, right over there. That’s what all those sovereign nations had in common that day last March — stories, just stories.

Today, I see the beautiful jingle dresses, young people dancing, and hear songs and everyone being happy. And I also see sickness, death, and many people dying too young. Our enemies, sicknesses, the destroyers, maybe they will leave us alone again too if we keep dancing and having a good time like in that story.

Maybe all we really can take with us is stories. Songs, language, and stories — they are energy, or as my mom might say, Manido.

To our youth, stay humble and be kind.

I now call to order the first Session of the 21st Assembly ar Ne-Ia-Shing on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.