In regards to the Pioneer article “Leech Lake State of the Band address highlights triumphs, challenges of 2022” published April 21, the issue of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was raised by Leech Lake Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson Sr., as he delivered his State of the Band address (at video time marker 1:45:52 to 1:47:59 at vimeo.com/event/3313382) that Leech Lake sovereignty and heritage rights do not only extend to those residing on reservation land — as Leech Lake is not a closed reservation.
This issue, of tribal rights extending to Natives not residing on a reservation, is paramount to this four-county area of Beltrami, Hubbard, Cass and Itasca in the protection of Native American heritage, yet ICWA is presently under attack before the Supreme Court of the United States.
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The attack on the Indian Child Welfare Act is a hidden shot across the bow to deny sovereignty and heritage rights protection to Natives not residing on reservation land.
This attack is an attempt to abridge the authority, by the United States Congress, to make laws to protect Native rights for Natives residing off of reservation land. Even though Tribal Chairman Jackson addressed the point that Minnesota has made its own version of ICWA (the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act). Such an act, by Minnesota and several other states, is to simply assist those attempting to rob Congress of their sole authority provided to them by treaties and the United States Constitution.
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In the event that the Supreme Court of the United States should fail to uphold treaty rights and the rights and responsibility of the United States Congress to protect Native American sovereignty and heritage, Native Americans should bring this issue to the International Court of Justice (United Nations) as a violation of treaties and laws between nations.
The Trust Project
