Discussion Topics:

The Council recognized and welcomed new member Rick Chavez, who works for CSREES.
 
The Council bid a fond farewell and presented flowers to Vice-Chair Janet Wright who will be leaving USDA March 26. Janet has accepted a position with the U.S. Information Agency and after a few months of training here in Washington will be moving overseas. Council members expressed their appreciation to Janet for her contributions to this Council and wished her every success at her new agency. We will discuss provisions for replacing the Vice-Chair at the next meeting.
 
Emily will contact the administrator at Van Ness Elementary School to discuss AIC's contribution and visit. If you would like to participate in this project, please contact Emily (720-2975 or e-mail) by March 25. A committee will be formed to talk about appropriate presentations we might make to the students or faculty.
 
Emily and Chair Wayne Brewer have requested a meeting with Sam Thornton, the Director of USDA's Office of Outreach. We will ask about the status of several American Indian outreach initiatives and discuss the possibility of AIC's participation in these initiatives. To participate, contact Emily by March 25.
 
Albert Barros, the Native American Special Emphasis Program Manager for the Department, is organizing a seminar to be held in Oklahoma City. Dates have not been set, but likely will be in mid-April. USDA programs and Indian land issues will be discussed among agency personnel and tribal representatives.
 
Sheila Shepperd mentioned that AMS is hosting a four-day outreach seminar in Memphis, Tennessee next week. For information, see AMS's webpage.
 
Dave Bell found an interesting new website: http://members.tripod.com/~PHILKON/links5.html
The site contains links to over 200 personal web home pages of American Indians. American Indian organizations are also listed.
 
Mark your calendars: Saturday March 20 from 2 - 6 pm -- The American Indian Society Pow Wow Committee will host a spaghetti dinner fund raiser for their 1999 pow wow at St. Clement's Church, 1701 North Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA. For $5, you get spaghetti with meatballs or sausages, tossed salad, Italian bread and butter, dessert, and choice of coffee or cold drink. Come on out and support your Indian community! As always, the AIS monthly meeting is held on the first Wednesday night at 7:30 or 8:00 pm. at St. Clement's Church. (7:30 is coffee-and-cake-time; meetings usually start at 8pm).
 
Alan Epps told us about Nunavut -- a new territory of Canada. On April 1, 1999, the map of Canada will be redrawn. This is a result of a settlement made between Canada's government and its Native peoples.
 
Janet gave us some ideas about how to increase participation in AIC: We could invite a speaker from the National Archives to give a speech about genealogy research; we could invite speakers from Indian organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians, or the American Indian Society; we could invite local Indian leaders, such as Susan Harjo; we could conduct a mini-seminar on pow wow etiquette; we could ask Albert Barros or Mary McNeil to talk to us about the status of USDA initiatives; we could ask a local craftsperson to demonstrate or speak on their craft, such as pottery, beadwork, basket-making, etc. Please indicate your interest in any of these ideas by contacting an AIC officer.
 
Wayne will try to get us a copy of a film he heard about made by the General Services Administration. It was made to instruct GSA contracting officers on appropriate ways to deal with tribes and Indian people.
 
Our guest, James Llanos, the Regional Tribal Relations Specialist for the Forest Service in Alaska, was kind enough to tell us a little bit about his job. He said there are 226 tribes in Alaska; most are located at a distance from Forest Service land, but about 40 actively deal with the Forest Service on a regular basis. An inter-agency MOU will soon be formalized among 14 federal agencies that all had separate tribal liaisons working with the Alaska tribes. This MOU will consolidate and coordinate the liaisons' efforts, and should be a great relief to the tribes. The Forest Service initiated this idea! All signatures should be in place by next month and the Forest Service will hold a celebration then. The Forest Service has also been contracting with Alaska tribes to conduct "protocol workshops." These have proven to be a good way to educate federal employees about the various Alaskan cultures. James reminded us that each tribe in Alaska has a distinct culture. We wanted to hear more but meeting time ran out. Next time James visits Washington, he's invited back to tell us about his hobby, fishing!
 
The handouts this month were:
 
Five Washington Post articles: "Utah Resisting Tribe's Nuclear Dump"; "Cutting a Tangle of Trusts"; "Babbitt, Rubin Cited for Contempt"; "Judge Holds Cabinet Secretaries in Contempt."
 
Intertribal Bison Cooperative & National Wildlife Federation invitation to an event on March 25, 1999, at the National Museum of American History.
 
The next AIC meeting will be on April 22, at noon, in room 2854-S. Room 2854-S has also been reserved for us at noon on May 20. Mark your calendars! Chairman Wayne Brewer adjourned the meeting at 1:10pm.