Americans for Indian opportunity: New ambassadors for change

By SHANNON SHAW | The New Mexican
April 27, 2006

Noelani Lee is from Kaunakakai, Hawaii, and was surprised to learn that American Indians in New Mexico have a say in state government.

"I think it's amazing to have so many Native Americans who have influence (on the cabinet level)," Lee said, executive director of the Ka Honua Momona International, which works on sustaining natural and cultural resources in Hawaii. "I wish that every state in the U.S. had that kind of leadership and insight."

Lee is part of the American Indian Ambassador program, which hosted state Indian Affairs Secretary Benny Shendo on Tuesday to learn about how the country's first and only Indian-affairs department was formed.

"Fifteen years ago, anyone that wanted to run for political office could bypass the tribes," Shendo said.

But after Indian gaming became prevalent, lawmakers began paying attention to the tribes' concerns, he said. "Water, land, all of these issues are discussed on the cabinet level, and these things are what impact tribes. And I can just imagine what these conversations would have sounded like without a Native voice," he said.

Shendo spoke candidly with the ambassadors, providing information on the effort it took to get the department started, who played big roles and what they need to do for their own communities.

The ambassador program was formed by Americans for Indian Opportunity, a group that has been in operation for 13 years and has run the ambassador program for nine years. Located in Albuquerque, AIO each year sends out applications to every tribe and Indian organization in the country in search of new leaders, said Laura Harris, AIO's executive director.

This year, the program had more than 100 applications from Native professionals all over the country. Selected in January, the current ambassadors, ages 25 to 35, represent 13 states and 18 tribes.

The ambassadors will convene four times throug hout their two years in the program. The second meeting will be held in Washington, D.C., the third in Bolivia to meet other indigenous communities and the fourth in an urban or reservation setting.

"Our applicant pool was especially competitive this year," Harris said. "The 18 individuals chosen already exhibit exceptional leadership skills so our program aims to further strengthen their talents by reaffirming their cultural values, cultivating their community organizing skills and building a network of people and resources they can utilize throughout their careers."

The ambassadors applauded Shendo and hope to have a voice in their state governments some day, Lee said. "In Hawaii, we care a lot about the same issues -- education, health care, sovereignty," she said.

The program will help the ambassadors work with tribal governments, organizations and community groups on policies that address energy, economic development, housing, the environment, education, tribal governance, and arts and culture.

"We're very proud of this class, and we feel that they're going to do a great job for their communities," Harris said.

For more information about AIO, call (505) 842-8677 or visit www.aio.org.

Contact Shannon Shaw

at 995-3837 or sshaw@sfnewmexican.com.