She will join in a minute via zoom. She serves as president of the congress of the largest tribal government in the United States. Let me give you the phone numbers. Phone lines split up as usual. Democrats 202 7488000, republicans 202 7488001, independents 202 7488002, and a special line for native americans 202 7488003. About nativeg american issues and you can start calling in now. Fond sharp. D by advice going the into a lameduck congress . We need to recognize that nobody is immune from this pandemic. We are all deeply impacted. This is likely going to exceed Public Resources that Congress Might have available. We need to be Global Partners in terms of Public Health care recovery plan. We cannot solve this in isolation but come to the table. Not just every nation, but all the trave tribal nations. Are they all represented in the congress of American Indians . Tell us about that group. The National Congress of American Indians is the oldest and Largest Organization in congress of tribal nations. We represent every region in the United States and every tribal nation. Tell us about your tribal nation. Thank you for asking. Our nation is located on the coast of Washington State on the olympic peninsula. 31 miles along the pacific. Acres, trees,0 mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, beautiful coastline, it is absolutely gorgeous. We know coronavirus has disproportionately impacted minority communities. Impact . Talk about the what you have seen, the Health Impacts over the past eight and a half months . I think it is important to point out that the disproportionate impact of our Health Care System in the united tribalwas impacting nations long before covid. Covid only exposed our vulnerabilities. Our nation like every tribe suffer a Health Care System that is woefully inadequate. There was a report to congress the detailed not one federal agency to tribal nations on every sector. Health care, law enforcement, education, so these positions we made usas only vulnerable. We have done our best and given the vulnerable situation tribes have found ourselves in before covid has only strengthened our resolve and come out even stronger. Following the World Health Organizations strategy. They delivered a strategy in february and march that we followed. It was a strict containment strategy. Not seeing anything in the United States we thought, lets go to those who are experts. Experts in dealing with global pandemics whether it is h1n1, ebola, and they produced an Emergency Response plan for covid following a strict containment strategy. Our nation broadly tested our citizens. Resort in ocean shores as an Isolation Quarantine Center that was ultimately used by the local county. We are the largest employer in the county so we creatively, with very little resources, were able to model a response that was following best practices, emerging science, as we all should. We remained covid free until august. At that time we had an outbreak of eight positive cases and it was in a mill not tribally owned. It was owned by nontribal citizens. We strictly contained those that tested positive and those worthy, knock on wood, only cases at the quileute nation. We have had to quarantine folks who have come into contact, but that is the situation. We are deeply impacted and looking forward to when congress resumes. Host for your tribe or any tribe in this country, when state governments issue mandates, do you have to follow those mandates on tribal land . What is the relationship . Guest yes, and that is another critically important question. Thank you for asking that. We do not. The governor of the state of washington issued a statement that made it very clear with regards to the response on tribal reservations it was the tribal nation that will lead in the tribal nation will adopt regulation standards, protocols, and so that is a clear line in washington. We also have the authority under nationfford act in our was aggressively lobbying to include a provision in the stafford act the allowed tribal nations to declare their own states of emergency independent of the state. After Hurricane Sandy there were some amendment to the stafford act and we were successful in assuring tribal nations were able to independently declare state of emergency, which we did as soon as we met that threshold. Host fawn sharp is our guest. President of the National Congress of American Indians joining us until the end of the program today at 10 00 a. M. Phone lines are split by party. Democrats, republicans, independents, and a special effort native americans at 202 7488003. We will start on that line. Duke is in chester, pennsylvania. You are on with fawn sharp. Fawn. hello, john and everybody should look up covid. Ron alpha 2b for sinceily has been here 1680 and we are American Indians originally from delaware. We have been impacted by the dawes act and this is not our first allaround with a pandemic. A lot of my family has been affected by tb 100 years ago. Just taking that into consideration and also, you know, the rise of black American Indians. Isant to know if fawn providing space or a platform for black American Indians off reservation who have been affected by the dawes act as we consider this moment of thanksgiving or genocide day or we call it corn day. Thank you for taking my call. Host on the dawes act first and then to the question. Guest yes, absolutely. With regard to the dawes act, that absolutely devastated tribal land, broke up our reservations, and was designed to depossess us of sacred homeland. We are deeply impacted. Yes, we are absolutely creating that space. In my mind, it is necessary. When we consider the disproportionate impacts of a Minority Community in this country it comes down to a basic question of equality. This country was built on a foundation of equality. It was envisioned that every person that lived within these lands would live equally. We know from the moment our treaties were signed we did not achieve that equality. We still struggle to achieve that equality. When you consider for centuries centuriesht four of our fight to have a seat at the table, that goes back many generations. We have to engage in exercise the truth that goes back to that first chapter. Then there is another chapter with regards to black americans and slavery. Generation,fter while there has not been a reconciliation, we have had generation after generation of trauma that, until we draw a line in the sand to say no longer are we going to treat people disproportionately, only then can we begin to have a healing in this country. Absolutely we have to create a space for all who have been disenfranchised, all who face inequities, all who are unequal in the eyes of another law, but man. Host mary is next of somerset, ohio on the line for native americans. Good morning. Caller good morning. Thank you for having me on. State that my mother, who is half cherokee and half choctaw, in texas was chairman of the largest precinct in texas. Democratic party and she served for several terms. She was a real fighter. She brought a lot of attention to the needs of people who are disenfranchised. She was very instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement and i am very proud of the work she has done. She has since written several thes on the choctaw people, mastery of basket weaving, and the history of our family who escaped the dawes act by running, basically, into the swamps and hiding out. But there have been women native american ancestors that has been and i hope fighting we will continue to see what we can do. Host fawn sharp. Guest thank you. I would love to read some of your moms writings. I find my leadership is inspired by so many other native Women Leaders and Women Leaders in general that have inspired and guided my life. , is then killer principal chief of the cherokee nation, and was a role model early in my presidency. I am only the ninth president at the nation since the turn of the last century. I served with the president bush, president obama, President Trump and a president elect biden. And im the 23rd president of the National Congress and third woman president , second woman president at the nation, but we find all across Indian Country aunts, grandmas, sisters that provide us with traumas insight, wisdom, compassion for our people. Side ofat matriarchal our leadership that is really inspired multigenerational he. Thank you for sharing that story. I would love to read some of her books. Friday is National Native americans heritage day. What advice do you have about those who want to no more about the hundreds of tribes around this country . Guest if somebody is really interested in knowing who we are as the First Americans in this country, i would really take the time to understand the spiritual dimension of our people and our citizenry. Not is a Common Thread that matter where you go in Indian Country, you can hear the power of our songs, of that drumbeat, and that represents a heartbeat that was here at the beginning of time and will be here at the end of time. We have seeded millions of acres theland by treaty ced saint carlos apache are fighting to protect their homelands from copper drilling. Have been giving to a national corporation. There fighting in this very moment they are fighting to protect where their ancestors leapt to their death. That is at risk. On the southern border there is heavy equipment threatening to demolish a sacred site. To separate mexico and the United States within their territory. These are tribal nations that are on the frontline, defending that which is sacred against unilateral action not only without their consent, but over their objections. These are very spiritual things. When you consider a people that are arguably in the most powerful country in the world, we survive generation after generation. How was that possible . It is possible because of a spiritual strength and resilience tribal nations how is it a newly found country just a few centuries can emerge to be the largest and most powerful country in the world . That is because of the space. Is a very sacred place. When people consider tribal nations and native people there are always stereotypes. How we liveerstand and what matters to us in the most significant and central part of our being, it is that common fighting spirit, that resilience. I often say what we have experienced, with multigenerational strength, wisdom, it is an unbroken chain to that which began and that which is sacred in this great country that we know as the United States. Host he originally asked you to join us to talk about the Record Number of native americans elected to congress in 2020. I should note that Record Number is just six out of 535 members of congress. Do you think American Indians are having their voices heard in the u. S. Congress . Guest at this point, yes. I believe we have our voice heard. While our numbers are relatively small, those who have emerged and are elected to congress are mighty voices. They are uncompromising voices. They are making sure every bit of Public Policy that is relevant and deeply impacts tribal nations, that we have a voice at that table. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate the leadership of those who are in congress. They are partnering with us on so many significant issues. I mentioned the broken promises report. We have a commitment from haalandcongressman deb along with Elizabeth Warren to develop concrete recommendations on the broken promises report. Those are things that, having someone in congress, has stepped up our advocacy and voice inside the homes of congress. Minneapolis, a republican. Caller thank you for letting me get in on this one. Good morning to you. Moved toto say i minnesota 35 years ago. I got a chance to meet a lot of native American People. At the time i did not know native American People existed. , there legd out which culture, and through language now their and culture, and through being on the in north dakota for the oil line that the news media did not touch it except in spurts. She committed her show for almost one month. I wanted to let you know that we are aware the native American People deserve what theyre supposed to get in this country. They have been neglected too long. Thank you. Guest thank you so much for mentioning both of his ability as well as the fight at the Dakota Access pipeline. That is an issue and i can connect that to the point i made earlier about our spiritual strength and resolve. Of 2016, i was able to dispatch some of our youth to Standing Rock. In the aftermath of that i dispatch some of our elders to paddle a canoe and it was met with drummers along the cannibal cannonball river. In common withgs the ones in the planes, it was so incredibly powerful plaine [speaking foreign language] plains it was so powerful. We had connection with those on the ground it Standing Rock and i remember thinking that now is the time. I called upon our counsel to go to Standing Rock and we have a national holiday. It is december 5 and it is our seventh president. We honor him as a sovereignty fighter. That is the day we are going to go to Standing Rock and we are going to camp. I physically camped the first week of december at Standing Rock and when we arrived there was this outpouring of celebration. That was the day president obamas administration, the army corps, suspended the army corps permit until there was further review and analysis. December 5, we offered songs in prayer and support to Standing Rock. That was such a significant victory. I had no idea when we left that would happen. It happened on the day we celebrated our sovereignty and all of that came together and it was such a moment in time. That was an effort led by our ignited ale and it Global Movement to elevate race and ally with tribal nations to protect the sacred homeland in the United States. Thank you for mentioning that. Host for folks who do not know much about the quinault nation, you wore your. Headpiece on this program. Headpiece on this program. Theres a similar one behind you. Can you tell us about it . Guest this particular one was gifted to me on the first morning of my first tribal journey. Started whenys time began, but for over a century our canoes were not on the waters in washington. Them in thet find ocean. At quinault elder had a vision of our canoes coming back and being out on the waters. He wanted to see 100 canoes. His name is emmett oliver. He lived to be 100 and saw 100 canoes eventually. From my experience the morning i launched off the shores of the nation this was gifted to me. I remember being 15 minutes into the paddle and you are in a dugout canoe, and old cedar tree. It is a handcarved canoe. We are facing large wells in the ocean and i remember thinking, im not good to make it outside the coast. I was physically tired. Our skipper began to sing some quinault songs and i felt this resurgence of strength. Mentally and physically i resigned, but spiritually i came alive. The ocean came alive and we would sing a whale song, we would see a whale. We sang in eagle song, and we would be joined by the eagles off the coast. That is when i talk about the spiritual dimension. This cedar hat was my gift from one of our elders on the morning of my very first tribal journey. School kid by high who is trained under an elder. This cedar hat behind me was a thent gift after i won presidency. That is my speakers hat for formal events. Hat formy ceremonial strength, clarity, and a connection with my ancestors. I thought it would be appropriate for this interview. Host thank you for sharing. Cindy is next out of clinton, wisconsin, an independent. Caller good morning. A grandmother and that weredmother navajo and very active when you mentioned to Standing Rock. They were doing artwork with kids during the time. [indiscernible] this is media to a degree, but us and broken hearts. The cnn exit poll for the latino, black, 6 . Native as Something Else november, whenn it is thanksgiving tomorrow, that our people, native people, be given a name in the media and other places . Host thanks for the call. Fawn sharp. Guest thank you. Else was shared widely across Indian Country. The irony was not unnoticed in our community. The irony of being invisible during a month where we should be visible. We should be celebrated. We are not only not celebrated, but even registering, at all, in this type of reports. We have got a long way to go. Say, in those moments, we come together. When we have that common challenge we all recognize, everybody across Indian Country. It was widely discus