Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

Northern Express Profile of GTB Chairman Derek Bailey

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the article.

An excerpt:

Chairman Derek Bailey of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) recently postponed a family getaway to the Upper Peninsula to speak at a memorial service. These constant schedule changes and being accessible 24/7 as the Tribal Chairman have become the lifestyle Bailey and his family have adopted since his election three years ago.

“We were looking forward to our trip, but I was asked to speak at a memorial service for Helen Hornbeck Tanner. I considered it not only an honor but my obligation to be there,” said Bailey. “Tanner, while not Native American, played several crucial roles in the recent history for Indian tribes of the Great Lakes region. She is not the only reason but she certainly is a key reason why we (the GTB) are where we are at today. It was important that I let her family and friends know how much we appreciate what she did for us and equally important that our tribal communities know of her importance.”

TANNER’S CONTRIBUTION
Tanner, a long time Beluah resident, was considered the leading authority on the Native American history of the Great Lakes. She authored several books and research papers during her tenure as a professor at the University of Michigan and as a senior research fellow at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Her “Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History,” documented the displacement of Indian communities from 1640 to 1871. Her research and expertise played a crucial role in upholding Indian treaty rights with the federal government, including fishing rights on the Great Lakes.

Bailey’s presence at the memorial service marked the type of leadership style those within the GTB have come to expect. That leadership style has also made its mark throughout Northern Michigan, as well as in Lansing and even in Washington D.C..

In 2008 at the age of 36, Bailey became the fifth and the youngest Tribal Chairman elected by the GTB. Bailey has set out a course to build partnerships throughout Michigan and in the nation’s capital. In just three years of creating collaborations and partnerships, some in the Northern Michigan business community are calling on Bailey to consider either running for the Michigan State Senate or U.S. Congress.

BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE
“I think Derek would make an excellent representative for Northern Michigan in Lansing or Washington D.C.,” said Don Coe, managing partner of Black Star Farms Winery and chairman of the Michigan Commission on Agriculture and Rural Development. “What he has been able to accomplish in just a couple of years as tribal chairman is remarkable and his leadership skills in Lansing or Congress would be a valuable asset for us here in Northern Michigan. Derek has worked hard to not only better the GTB but also the greater Northern Michigan community.”

Coe is impressed with Bailey’s ability to understand both sides of an issue and bring opposing sides together.
“What I like is his ability to represent the GTB positions on issues and put those forward in a way that that is not threatening but accepting, and he is also able to put forward the issues of others back to his membership,” said Coe.

Coe adds that Bailey is also an exceptional listener, and has attracted the attention of the Obama administration. “You don’t call the White House, they call you and the Obama administration has been calling.”

That most recent call came a few weeks back when President Obama visited Holland and the White House called Bailey to let him know that the president requested his presence in Holland for a brief meeting.

GTB and LTBB among Nine Tribes Nationally that have Substantially Complied with Sex Offender Registration Laws

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the press release. An excerpt:

The States of Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming; as well as the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Pueblo of Isleta, Tohono O’odham Nation, Upper Skagit Indian Tribe; and the United States territory of Guam have been found by the SMART Office to have substantially implemented SORNA. Tribes that have not implemented SORNA by the deadline and can show that they will be able to do so “within a reasonable amount of time,” as determined by the Attorney General, may submit a request to the SMART Office.

 

Chicago Public Radio: “Who Owns the Fish? How Tribal Rights Could Save the Great Lakes”

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here. The transcript:

In Leelanau County in Northern Michigan, a small Native American tribe has struggled for generations to survive economic and social hardships. The tribe has always been deeply connected to the lakes economically and culturally. The latest threat to that connection is environmental degradation, particularly invasive species. But the tribes are forming unexpected alliances with old enemies to fight the threat.

When you first arrive in the Leelanau Peninsula, you think: This is heaven in the Midwest. Lake Michigan stretches out everywhere you look, blue as the Caribbean. It is a place full of second homes and tourists. But there is one spot that is different from the rest.

Arthur Duhamel Marina sound fade up

Peshawbestown is the reservation for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, a group that has lived in this area longer than anyone. It doesn’t have any t-shirt shops or beach-front mansions. Instead, there are government offices, a casino, and a tribal marina. Ed John is a tribal fisherman who docks his fishing boat here.

JOHN: I can weld, and other things. But I enjoy fishing ’cause I am my own boss. I am not rich, but I don’t want to be rich, it’s working for me.

Tribes have always been dependent on the lakes. We asked Ed how invasive species have been threatening the tribes’ livelihood.

JOHN: I was just telling my buddy, we got these reporters down here, asking about invasive species. We know a thing or two about invasive species. First we had the Vikings and all these other countries taking, actually invading our space.

Ed’s wife fishes, and so does her cousin, Bill.

FOWLER: My name is Bill Fowler, I am a tribal commercial fisherman.

His nickname is Bear.

FOWLER: Because I’m as big as a bear and I work like a bear.

Fade up engine

Bill fishes with Jason Sams who helps haul in the nets. Also along for the ride is  Bill’s dauschund puppy, Beauford.

SAMS: He eats the face of the fishes. Faces ain’t worth any money anyway. He’s excited ‘cause he knows there will be fish soon.

It takes about an hour to reach the first fishing net.

FOWLER: Here fishy, fishy. Come here fishies.

Lake trout flop around on the dock, bleeding from the gills.

Fish flopping

Ice keeps them fresh till they get to shore, where Bill sells his catch under the name 1836 Fishing Company, in honor of the Treaty of 1836.

FOWLER: I named it that because the treaty is important to us to reserve our rights.

You see, back in 1836 the tribes gave away a huge chunk of land – one-third of the state of Michigan. In return they kept the right to hunt and fish. But much later, in the 1960s, the state of Michigan started heavily regulating commercial fishermen, including tribes, limiting where and how they fished.

John Bailey was a tribal leader at the time and says the regulations hurt the tribes.

BAILEY: Economically it would destroy us. And it would destroy us as Indian people because it’s something that has been passed down generation to generation.

Inspired by the Civil Rights movement in the south, tribes began using non-violent civil disobedience to protest the regulations. They ignored state fishing restrictions and said to the authorities, come arrest me.

According to John Bailey, a lot of whites didn’t react well.

BAILEY: One of the groups actually took pictures of Indian fisherman and flooded the state with wanted posters: Spear an Indian, Save a Trout. We had guns pulled on us. We had women verbally and physically assaulted.

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ICT Coverage of “Coalition of Large Tribes” (Quoting GTB Chair Derek Bailey)

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the article.

An excerpt:

Given the limited attention the federal government pays to all tribal issues, frustrations can and do develop among the tribes, although you have to scratch beneath the polite, polished surface of the public positions of many tribal leaders, who prefer to present a unified front for tactical purposes. Tex G. Hall, the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, explains his rationale for the tribal-unity approach: “We don’t always run things [in American society]. But one of the things in our control is our ability to lead and forge a common voice from within our own nations. That is a hallmark of leadership and one of the basic responsibilities that comes with elected office such as my own.”

The paucity of federal attention to Indian issues is an ongoing concern. “Unfortunately, Indians seem to have always had a problem getting heard on Capitol Hill,” Hall says. “The sad reality is that very few legislators, and certainly not Congress as a whole, have really ever paid attention to the bigger picture. It would be great if we actually had the luxury of being able to pick and choose the battles that we could win. But we really don’t have a sense that we are going to win on any single issue or at any particular time.”

So what’s a tribal leader have to do to get his or her concerns addressed? Forming a coalition has been the preferred answer. There’s the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), which bills itself as “the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization”; the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), which advocates for improved Indian health; United Southern and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET); the National Indian Gaming Association, for casino tribes; and many others. Some of these coalitions have had major successes, such as when NCAI, NIHB and others lobbied for reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act last year. At the same time, some tribes have been loath to join this or that coalition because of perceived slights, historical tensions and/or a firm commitment to the principle of tribal sovereignty.

Derek Bailey, the chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, says he finds the various coalitions useful for educating legislators on issues that will affect Indian country on both the micro and macro levels: “Coalition-building amongst tribes, be it regional or for a more defined purpose, definitely assists in promoting any particular agenda,” he says. At the same time, he notes that tribes have historically held differing opinions “and there is a time and place for that, but on larger issues, Indian country’s collective voice is incredibly strong. We have to continue to exercise that voice, be it as a single sovereign nation or as a collective body of sovereign tribal governments.”

GTB Member Dwaun Anderson is Michigan’s Mr. Basketball

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

From the Freep (article here):

Suttons Bay's Dwaun Anderson holds the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award at the Detroit Free Press in Detroit on Monday, March 21, 2011.

Suttons Bay’s Dwaun Anderson holds the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award at the Detroit Free Press in Detroit on Monday, March 21, 2011. / ANDRE JACKSON / DFP

 

GTB Appellate Court Issues Opinions in Election Dispute

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

The case is captioned Shomin v. Grand Traverse Band Election Board:

Shomin v. GTB Election Board

Shomin v. GTB Election Board — Intervention Motion

Former Chukchansi (and GTB) Gaming Manager Indictment Survives Motion to Dismiss

Matthew L.M. Fletcher2 Comments

Here is the order in United States v. Jeff Livingston (E.D. Cal.): DCT Order Denying Livingston Motion to Dismiss.

Here is the indictment.

GTB and Coast Guard Sign Historic Agreement

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

PESHAWBESTOWN, MI – Rear Adm. Michael N. Parks, Ninth U.S. Coast Guard District Commander, will join Derek J. Bailey, Tribal Chairman, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians and Cmdr. Jonathan S. Spaner, Commanding Officer Air Station Traverse City, to formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States Coast Guard and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians on Saturday, January 29, 2011, at 11am in the Eagle’s Ridge Conference Center (located on the hill overlooking Leelanau Sands Casino.)

The Coast Guard and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians are entering into this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further enhance cultural, operational, and community coordination. The MOU is a unique opportunity to formalize the nation-to-nation cooperation between the USCG and Grand Traverse Band and is intended to solidify an enduring relationship for decades to come. The agreement establishes consensus guidelines necessary to succeed over the long-term and is also intended to serve as a model for cooperation between other sovereign Tribal authorities and Coast Guard leaders.

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Leelanau Enterprise Interview with Derek Bailey

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here: Leelanau Enterprise Interview with Derek Bailey

Derek Bailey on Michigan Intergovernmental Relations

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Traverse City Record-Eagle:

This past October, at the Great Lakes Bioneers conference held at Northwestern Michigan College, I participated in a presentation with Traverse City Mayor Chris Bzdok. Our presentation focused on “Participating in Governance,” and throughout our discussion an emerging theme became apparent: Citizens feel a stronger need to be connected as a part of their respective governments.

Following our presentation and questions that were asked, I thought about what this means and how elected officials could improve this connection. I believe we are, now more than ever, asking for true representative democracy of our elected officials. Interestingly, this is a common and expected understanding among citizens of tribal governments whom tribal officials are elected to serve.

An elected tribal official is not defined within a political party, yet represents a sovereign nation in its entirety and its citizenship. There is a strong need to build relationships with other decision-makers and leaders.

To better understand, it is truly “government-to-government” when developing relationships with local, state and federal officials. Developing and maintaining interactions that occur daily, weekly and monthly is a definite advantage in accomplishing work efforts and activities, and for making the best decisions possible.

Having served on Tribal Council since 2004, and more recently as tribal chairman, I am routinely impressed with the high level of commitment to northern Michigan and our beautiful state by local and state representatives.

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