American Indians will be making the political pilgrimage to Denver this August in numbers that represent a zenith for tribal involvement in national politics.
Four superdelegates and an estimated 150 delegates — a doubling from the past two conventions — will represent the Zuni, Choctaw, Winnebago, Comanche, Blackfoot, Kiowa and more of the nation’s 563 tribes. Delegates and superdelegates say they expect to showcase their culture along with their growing political clout.
Indians, who represent 1 percent of the U.S. population and whose political affiliation is an estimated 80 percent Democratic, also have an unprecedented six members on the Democratic National Convention Standing Committees.
“It will be a memorable occasion and a red-letter day for native people from across the country,” said Frank LaMere, a Nebraska superdelegate and chairman of the Native American Caucus.
LaMere said the record Indian turnout is partly due to many tribal members’ being fired up over presumed presidential nominee Barack Obama, a candidate he said takes them back to the late 1960s, the civil-rights movement and the hope they saw in presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy before he was assassinated. The fact that Obama would be the first African-American U.S. president if he wins has raised hope on reservations that he would understand the discrimination Indians face.
A “new deal” for tribes
“Barack Obama has engaged native people. He represents a new deal that is so important to native people because of conditions in Indian country and on our reservations,” LaMere said.
Obama may be the catalyst for this election’s excitement, but Indians have been becoming more politically savvy and engaged for some time.
“They are registering like you wouldn’t believe,” said former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, an American Indian from Colorado.
Campbell, who switched from Democrat to Republican during his tenure in the U.S. Senate, said he believes Indians are drawn to the Democratic Party because they perceive that party as being more willing to give aid to reservations.
“Republicans want to help them help themselves. The Democrats want to put more and more programs in place,” Campbell said.
What can’t be disputed is the increase in Indian political activism.
Slogans like “When Indians Vote, America Wins” and “Discover the Indian Vote” are spreading across and out of reservations. “Prez on the Rez” rallies have been held on Indian lands that increasingly are becoming campaign stops for major candidates. Organizations such as the Indigenous Democratic Network — also known as INDN’s List — are actively promoting Indian candidates and holding campaign camps to train aspiring politicians. In a sign of how seriously the party takes this, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean spoke at the most recent camp.
INDN’s List founder and president Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, said presidential candidates are more actively courting the Indian vote than they have in past elections.
“We’re seeing for the first time, the candidates are reaching out. They are recognizing the power of the Indian vote and that Indians could be pivotal in this election,” Free said.
Adding clout to the West
Free said that new Indian political power is partially tied to the growing influence in the next election of Western states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.
The voting-age population of Indians or part-Indians in those states is as high as 15 percent, the figure in Montana and New Mexico. More than 72 Indian legislators serve in state legislatures, and an Indian, Mary Kim Titla from Arizona, is running on the Democratic ticket for Congress this year.
The estimate of 150 Indian delegates at the Democratic convention overshadows the 76 Indians at the 2004 convention and 75 at the 2000 convention. In 1996, there were 50 Indian delegates.
“Like everyone else, we need someone else after eight years of failed policies. What I hear is that our people are interested in Obama because he could unite our country. We want to unite with the rest of the country,” said Margaret Campbell, a superdelegate and chairwoman of the Montana Democratic Party.
The Indian contingent will have a room large enough for 250 at caucus meetings, but LaMere said he thinks hundreds more interested politicos and Indians drawn to Denver to be an unofficial part of the convention will spill out of that facility.
That caucus will include cultural components — traditional prayers, recognition of children, a color guard to honor veterans — and some very serious work. LaMere said issues of sovereignty will be at the top of the list, followed by jobs, health care, education and the war on terrorism.
“We will approach our business mindful of the fact that we carry a great burden — the hopes and aspirations of all the people,” LaMere said. “We will act knowing that our efforts will affect many generations to come.”
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, it gave an incorrect ethnic identification for Ben Ray Luján from New Mexico. He is Hispanic.
