Indian Schooling Subpar, Says Leader Government Remiss In Providing Good Education, Assembly Told

The federal government isn’t meeting its legal responsibility to provide education to American Indian children, an Indian leader says.

“Education is a trust duty,” said Ernie Stevens, vice president of the National Congress of American Indians. “It cannot be ignored. So far, the quality of education we have received is poor and must change.”

Stevens, a member of Wisconsin’s Oneida Tribe, was a keynote speaker Monday at the National Indian Education Association Convention. The annual gathering has attracted about 4,000 delegates to Tacoma from Indian tribes across the country.

Indian tribes ceded their lands to the government in exchange for on-going support, Stevens said. It’s the government’s responsibility, he said, to continue making payments for those lands.

“Maybe we should start repossessing lands,” Stevens suggested. “Maybe we should be like car dealers when people can’t make their car payments.”

According to National Indian Education Association figures, Indian youngsters have the highest dropout rate, highest suicide rate, lowest test scores and lowest college attendance of any minority group.

Stevens said in the past two sessions of Congress, lawmakers have passed off responsibility for Indian tribes by sending block grants to individual states.

Tribes must work together to head off cutbacks in federal funds and social-welfare programs, Stevens said.