Oliver Semans: Tribes have a duty to defend our sovereignty

On October 10, my wife Barb and I were able to attend the oral arguments before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the Mark Wandering Medicine versus Custer. Mr. Wandering Medicine was able to appear also with his wife to hear our Attorneys and the Department of Justice tell the court why the district judge was wrong in his interpretation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This was a historic moment for Indian Country in that the end results could allow equal access in voting all the way from Alaska to Arizona.

The reason this is so important for Indian Country is because electing officials who understand our treaties and sovereignty will ensure these remain intact for our future generations. Right now this is important because of the States now using Federal Agencies to encroach upon our Sovereignty. Their attempt to enforce State laws and taxes on tribes was never Congresses intent.

In the past years tribes have suffered loses economically which in turn affected our social issues within our reservations. These alone are bad, but include the constant encroachment of our Sovereignty that has allowed this present trend to occur, we all should be worried. It was our ancestors in their signing of treaties that created our Sovereignty, so it is our duty to defend it.