TribalNeeds

[Brenda Brandon <bbrandon@ross1.cc.haskell.edu>]

There has been  a general lack of inclusion of Tribal issues in community involvement discussions as a whole.  Often the significance of cultural sites and the sacredness of the land to the Tribes are overlooked.  Because Tribal lands are located on or near Federal lands that are mined for natural resources, or used for department of defense activities, Tribes are frequently subject to environmental impact of contaminants.  Tribal communities represent an important faction of stakeholders and it is only ethical to hear their concerns with an open mind.  Allowing impacted Tribal community representatives to provide their own expertise about environmental ruling is key to avoiding environmental justice issues.  

Perhaps the lack of response to Native American interests is due to a lack of understanding of why environmental impact can be extremely devastating to a Tribal community. 
Due to the intrinsic connectedness of Native American culture with the environment, the degradation of natural aspects of Tribal land results in risk to the preservation of the impacted Tribal culture.  Each Tribe has a specific culture that is in part defined by the natural environment around them.  There are four general categories of cultural impact that are brought upon by environmental contamination.    

* Tribal communities rely heavily upon sustainable resources, which are negatively impacted by environmental contamination.  Tribes are generally located in rural areas with low economic basis, resulting in greater need for use of natural resources.  Traditional views of environmental stewardship and hunting and gathering practices are integral to Tribal culture, as well.   

* Culturally significant plant and animal species are often greatly impacted by environmental contaminants.  This causes burden upon Tribal communities as they struggle with declining resources to sustain their cultural activities and ceremonial practices.

* Ceremonial practices are often dependent upon Tribes having access to cultural sites that have not been degraded or contaminated.  Access to pure water, clean hunting and gathering grounds are all related to survival of individual Tribal cultures.  

* An aesthetically pleasing, clean and balanced environment is constitutional to Tribal culture, especially as they relate to culturally significant or sacred sites.   Not only are the individual aspects of the environment important, but the overall state of the environment has an impact on the emotional and psychological stability of a Tribal community.     

Certainly each Tribe maintains its individual culture and each Tribe will express its concerns in a specific manner.  Tribes should be allowed to express their own concerns as they relate to impacted environment.  Community assistance will have to be tailored to meet the needs of the individual Tribes and be delivered in a manner that is harmonious to their ways.  The key to delivering a successful assistance program to a Tribe is through the sharing and listening process.  Response to a conventional classroom setup in community outreach sessions is not as likely to be successful.