The Year in Kevin Gover

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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JANUARY 4, 2000

The first installment in The Year in Review: 2000.

On Wednesday, January 3, 2001, Kevin Gover officially left his job as Assistant Secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs.

Appointed to the position in 1997, the Pawnee lawyer became both revered and reviled at the helm at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And in his last year, Gover came under a lot of scrutiny for his doings. Although his decisions weren't always popular, particularly with non-Indians, Gover tirelessly defended tribal sovereignty, economic development, and the BIA amidst many critics.

His first major tangle came in March, with the decision to extend preliminary federal recognition to two Pequot tribes in Connecticut. Gover was instantly criticized for the move and officials in the state took turns the rest of the year trying, unsuccessfully, to get Gover removed from the process and reverse the decision.

Gover didn't take their efforts lightly. In various interviews, most notably in Indian Country Today and the radio program Native America Calling, he strongly defended his actions, calling on Native people to stand together.

Still, even Gover knew when to give up. In May, he testified before the Senate that the Bureau had better things to do with its time than engage in the fierce battle for recognition.

Sometimes, though, seeking an out was reason for criticism of Gover. With barely a day left before he was to make a decision on the recognition of two Nipmuc tribes in Massachusetts, he recused himself from the process in December.

But by then, Gover had already made it clear he'd be making the ultimate exit by stepping down from his position. He mounted a farewell tour of sorts, touting the BIA's successes all over Indian Country, including the National Congress of American Indians and the Oneida Nation.

In November, and again in December, he participated in renewing the government-to-government relationship between the government and tribes. Like other Gover activities, such as the approval of gaming compacts for California tribes in May or the visit in August to Santa Clara Pueblo with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, these events were low-key, but historic.

The BIA's birthday bash in September, though, was probably the most memorable Gover 2000 event. In a moving speech, Gover apologized for the wrongdoings the Bureau committed in its 176-year history and vowed, never again, would the agency participate in the "ethnic cleansing" of Native peoples.

So, whether by luck, shrewd planning, or just good karma, it was fitting that on his last day on the job and in his last official action, Gover recognized the Chinook Tribe of Washington. Along with the re-affirmation of the status of three other tribes, the recognition of the Little Shell Chippewa of Montana and the Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington, and the pending recognition of the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington, Gover's year will be marked as the year the Tribal Nation family grew.