Study members recently interviewed award-winning Yakima Herald-Republic reporter Tammy Ayer who has written extensively about the centuries-long MMIP crisis.
“We were so impressed with both the depth of her work and the extent of her knowledge,” said Susan Fleming, Tribal Study Update committee chair.
Among Ayer’s projects is the Herald-Republic’s impressive The Vanished, an emotional and extensive accounting of those who have been murdered and died mysteriously on and around the Yakama Reservation.
Fleming said Ayer’s series of stories make each person real and not just a statistic. “She approached the tribal women and listened and respected them—and was flexible. She built relationships.”
Ayer also detailed the boarding school legacy and their great harm, which has led to widespread generational trauma.
Fleming said study update committee members have a considerable task. Four positions in the state League’s Program in Action document have enabled members to pursue policy and legislative work as allies of Native Americans and tribes. Those efforts include the League’s support for ensuring tribes are involved in discussions about the new Columbia River Treaty with Canada and the additional content about Washington tribes in the state League’s youth civics textbook, The State We’re In.
“We also are including overviews of the 29 federally recognized Washington tribes, the five or six non-recognized tribes, and several tribes in adjacent states that are closely related to Washington tribes,” Fleming said.
She added: “We haven’t forgotten about the Chinook and have stayed close to their struggle for federal recognition. There are several tribes in the same position, and one of them, the Lumbee of North Carolina, has just been recognized through congressional action.”
Fleming said informing League members about tribal affairs is vital.
“We believe that such education is critical for bringing about lasting change in our relationship with the Native American tribes in Washington,” Fleming said. “Native American culture is different from the dominant American culture, and we are striving to both deeply appreciate it and learn from it.”
“Our mandate is to reflect tribal views in the study.”—From Susan Fleming
