One Who Helps All People of this Land

That was the name Barack Obama was given when he was adopted into the Crow Nation in a ceremony in Montana today.


(photo from the Barack Obama website)

I am including this news here because Obama's policy proposals on Native American issues are the most thorough, well-thought out ones being proposed by any Presidential candidate. They have the potential to make a big difference in Indian Country, including services to women and children.

I wrote a diary in the Daily Kos a while ago that compared Clinton's and Obama's policy proposals, which you can find here. Clinton's proposals are also very good, but in the end Obama's were more thorough, especially because he promised to appoint a Native American adviser to his senior White House staff. This goes far beyond the mostly-symbolic gestures past Presidents and candidates have made. So, I was happy to see the news that he'd been adopted into the Crow Nation by Hartford and Mary Black Eagle.


(Myrtle Strong Enemy, 101, waits for US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama, (D-IL), to speak in Crow Agency, Montana May 19, 2008. Strong Enemy is the oldest woman in the Crow Nation. REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

Here's an excerpt from an article in New York Times.

Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, was "adopted" by Hartford and Mary Black Eagle and given a name which means "one who helps all people of this land."

"I was just adopted into the tribe, so I'm still working on my pronunciation," Obama told a crowd after stumbling over some of the native names.

"I like my new name, Barack Black Eagle," he said. "That is a good name."

Many in the audience wore traditional feather headdresses and some banged drums ahead of Obama's visit, the first by a presidential candidate to the Crow Nation.

An article in the Missoulian discussed what the Crow requested of Obama. In a prepared statement, Crow Tribal Chairman Carl Venne asked Obama to defend indigenous rights worldwide, appoint a Native American to lead the Interior Department and to honor treaty concessions.

Here are some excerpts from Venne's statement:

“This park is dedicated to our leaders who have fought for the United States in every war since World War I,” Venne said. “You know, during wartime bullets don't discriminate based on the color of your skin. Currently there are over 40 Crow men and women fighting in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan . We honor all those serving today, and we also honor Senator Barack Obama as the man who can bring them home safely.

“We want change in America today,” Venne said. “Instead of pouring billions of dollars into Iraq and quadrupling foreign aid to Africa , we need to spend money taking care of our needs at home, especially the forgotten first Americans.”

“We want America to be the leader it should be around the world and we ask that you, Senator Obama, commit to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” said Venne.

“We respectfully ask for tribal representation in formulating the policies that affect us a tribal adviser to the president in the White House, regular meetings with tribal leaders, and tribal officials in key positions. We hope to see during your administration the first Indian Secretary of the Interior. It is only right.”

“In Indian Country, we want new and better programs in health, education, and housing,” said Venne. “We don’t want to have to leave our homeland to get a job or a place to live. We want to have places for our children and grandchildren to live.

“When we send our children out into the world for their educations, we want them to be able to come home again. We have protected our homeland for seven generations, and we ask your help in protecting it for seven generations more.”

You can also find articles about this on the Daily Kos and Democratic Underground.