Maine Tribes Praise Obama's Commitment to UN Declaration

[ProSense]

Maine Tribes Praise Obama's Commitment to UN Declaration

12/17/2010 Reported By: Keith Shortall

Tribal leaders in Maine and around the country are praising President Obama's announcement yesterday that the United States will support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The announcement was made during the White House Tribal Nations Conference, where chiefs from the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indian Nations were among those in attendance. The president's commitment caps a 30-year struggle to gain political recognition for tribal sovereignty.

Ever since the 1970's representatives from the nation's more than 500 federally-recognized Indian tribes have been trying to get the United States to endorse the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples.

Among other things, the non-binding declaration affirms that indigenous peoples are equal to all others; recognizes the urgent need to respect and promote the rights in their treaties and agreements; and spells out their right to development and self determination, including autonomy in local affairs.

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"And as you know in April we announced that we were reviewing our position on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And today I can announce that the United States is lending its support to this declaration," Obama said to applause. "The aspirations it affirms, including the respect for the institutions and rich cultures of native peoples are ones we must always seek to fulfill."

One tribal leader from Maine who was at the White House conference says that the president's commitment to support the UN Declaration marks another important step in the administration's recognition of native rights.

"It means an awful lot, you know--I think it really starts to put the money where his mouth's been, in terms of his feelings toward Native Americans," says Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation at Indian Island.

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