Our Mission: Three Main Goals
Transparency and Accountability
As mentioned before, the tribal council is currently facing investigation for mismanagement of over $30 Million dollars. This has caused much distrust of tribal administration and politics in Turtle Mountain and has cast a pall over any positive developments that might have been made; in particular the butcher shop, waterpark, and emergency response center.
Instead of paying our members directly, as was the main function and design of COVID relief, our council chose instead to fund pet projects. The waterpark went millions of dollars over budget; with a $50,000 wire transfer, pertaining to this project, going missing in one day. The butcher shop was not properly planned, having installed sewage lines at a food processing facility, leading to the spaces being converted to USDA office spaces instead. The emergency response center was not properly built to code, and consequently, cannot house the emergency response vehicles.
I am not making a value judgment on these ventures, but it is clear that the council has been inept in its execution of these expensive projects. Since the council actively buys votes through tribal employee bonuses, it is important to question to what extent council members and their cohorts have embezzled monies or skimmed off the top. This council currently has $2 million dollars set aside for campaigning. How does a council making half as much collectively, set aside $2 million?
Through an independent audit of our tribal accounts, we will uncover any fraud or mismanagement without any bias towards any councilmember. We are entitled to know who profited from these ventures and to what extent do funds reasonably match expenses or receipts. All findings will be published for access by all Turtle Mountain people and any fraud identified will be fully prosecuted.
Unity and Blood Quantum
The concept of Blood Quantum developed out of the colonial period, as a means of intentionally erasing Indigenous identity over time. Under blood quantum, with every passing generation, we inevitably lose members. Countless children and relatives are limited to “descendant” status and therefore miss out on opportunities and rights afforded to full members. Many of our descendant relatives are helping preserve our culture, our language, and our identity all while we miss out on their potential time and talents that they are so ready to offer. Think of how many of our own nieces and nephews, our children, who are being barred from Turtle Mountain, their own home, and their own identity; their birth right. All of this due to colonial blood quantum.
We must acknowledge that our Turtle Mountain people have always been diverse. Many of our relatives identify as Chippewa/Anishinaabe, Cree, Metis, Assiniboine, and everything in between. We even have relatives who are Black, Latino, and others, their identity as Turtle Mountain people is equally important. Under our constitutional reform initiative, we aim to eliminate blood quantum once and for all, and build a better home for all our relatives. It is through unity that we are truly strong.
We have almost 40,000 enrolled members, imagine a community pushing 40,000 people. Minot, ND has a similar population. If we can build a community to house and employ all of our members, if we can build a home for all our relatives, imagine the community we can have, right here in Turtle Mountain.
Tribal Government and Constitutional Reform
We need to reform both our civic government and our traditional governance systems. Civic reforms include separating the legislative power of the tribal council from executive power. We will establish an executive branch that actively goes after investment opportunities and represents Turtle Mountain internationally. The legislative branch will then be freed up with law making responsibilities, regularly monitoring and updating our tribal law codes.
We will also separate business powers away from politics. For the last few years the tribal council has passed directive after directive, consolidating business powers. Imagine Washington, D.C. looking over every business proposal and managing every business venture? That’s what is happening in Turtle Mountain. We need to keep the collective business interests of the tribe separate from political pursuits or private bennefit.
Our reform efforts will also provide space for traditional leaders and elders who are the keepers of our traditions, customs, and culture. We will reestablish our traditional governance structures to act as monitors and advisors to the tribal government, ensuring that our civic government does not neglect or betray our traditional values, the seven grandfathers teachings, or the general well being of all our tribal people.
