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Indigenous candidates' win for all in American Congress STAFF REPORT
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TWO ROW TIMES
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Internet access, health care and basic necessities like running water and electricity within Indigenous communities have long been at the centre of congressional debates. But until recently, Congress didn't have many Indigenous members who were pushing for solutions and funding for those issues. Hope is growing after the Native delegation in the U.S. House expanded by two on Election Day: Yvette Herrell, who is Cherokee and prevailed in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, and Kai Kahele, a Native Hawaiian who won that state's 2nd District. They will join four Native Americans who won reelection: Reps. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, who's Laguna; Sharice Davids of Kansas, who's Ho-Chunk; Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who's Cherokee; and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who's Chickasaw. Of the six who prevailed, half are Democrats and half Republican _ a divide Cole said would ``absolutely be indispensable in passing anything the next two years.'' The winners were among a dozen Indigenous major-party
Indigenous representation is on the rise in the US Congress. Deb Haaland of New Mexico was re-elected for a second term in the SUBMITTED PHOTO November 2020 election.
Kai Kahele, an Indigenous Hawaiian, won a seat in the House for SUBMITTED PHOTO his state's 2nd District.
candidates running in topof-the-ticket races. ``I always consider tribal affairs to be non-partisan,'' Cole said Monday. ``The tribal sovereignty and trust responsibility are not partisan issues. You either believe in those or you don't.'' Representation means progress, scholars say, particularly for Indigenous children who will see their language and culture on display in Congress. It's fueled by efforts to recruit Indigenous candidates and back them financially, get-out-the-vote efforts and Native communities flexing their political muscle. About 100 Indigenous candidates were on general election ballots across the country, most seeking seats in state legislatures. ``It's seeing people that look like us in Congress that is inspiring women, more than anything, to run,'' said Traci Morris,
And while it's not easy to ignore Indigenous lawmakers if they're sitting across the table, they often can be pigeonholed, said Richard Monette, who teaches federal Indian law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ``I think that, in the end, the scale tips toward being more good than bad,'' said Monette, a former chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. ``That's fair to say, but I will say this is complex.'' Herrell, for example, said she's proud of her heritage but didn't tout it in her bid to unseat Democrat Xochitl Torres Small in a complicated district that includes minority communities along the U.S.-Mexico border, tribes, ranchers, farmers, and oil and gas industry workers. ``I really prefer to call myself an American,'' she told The Associated Press. ``I'm a New Mexican, and
executive director of the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University who's Chickasaw. ``That's what I see _ I see we all think we can do it now. And there was huge involvement.'' Still, Indigenous people remain underrepresented in Congress. The U.S. Senate has not had a Native American member since Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado retired in 2005. He has Northern Cheyenne heritage. Democrat Paulette Jordan, who is Coeur d'Alene, lost to the incumbent for a U.S. Senate seat in Idaho this year. But the House victories won't necessarily translate to immediate power in Washington. Kahele said he imagines he'll spend time learning about Indigenous issues outside of his native Hawaii and educating other Native and non-Natives in Congress.
it's not about labels, it's not about race. It's about people and representing all of our values, all of our shared likes and even dislikes and coming together.'' The House formed the bipartisan Congressional Native American Caucus in 1997 that has dozens of non-Indigenous members and is now led by Cole and Haaland. Most notably, it worked to pass two bills to help address the epidemic of missing and slain Native American women. But the leadership team, which also includes Davids and Mullin, doesn't always agree. ``We all make decisions based on two things: our life experiences and the way we were raised,'' Mullin said in a statement to the AP. ``With more Native Americans in Congress, we can make a bigger impact CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PM42686517