A 10-man delegation, headed by the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, and including three other Indians and two Interior Department officers, has been named to represent the United States at the Fifth Quadrennial Conference of the Inter-American Indian Institute to be held in Quito, Ecuador October 19-25.
W. W. Keeler, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma will lead the United States delegation. He is Principal Chief of the Cherokees, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Phillips Petroleum Company. Mr. Keeler headed the Task Force on Indian Affairs appointed by Secretary Udall in 1961 and in that' capacity helped formulate current Federal policy in relation to Indians. He was also Chairman of another Secretarial task force appointed in 1962 to study conditions among the Indians and Eskimos of Alaska and to recommend Federal policy relating to them.
Other Indian delegates are as follows:
Irvin Santiago, Governor of Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, and a member of the Tribal Council for six years. Governor Santiago was appointed by President Johnson to the National Citizens Committee on Community Relations. He is a member of the New Mexico Advisory Committee on Civil Rights and this year represents the Governor of New Mexico on the Governors' Interstate Council on Indian Affairs.
Robert Jim, of Toppenish, Washington, a member of the Trial Council of the Yakima Indians and officer of four key tribal committees. He is Chairman of the Fish, Wildlife and Law and Order Committee; Chairman of the Legislative Committee; Secretary of the Loan, Extension, Education, and Housing Committee; and Secretary of the Enrollment Committee.
Mrs. Agnes Savilla, of Parker, Arizona, a long-standing member of the Council of the Colorado River Tribes. A Mojave Indian, she is Chairman of the Council's Committee on Health, Education and Welfare.
Representing the Department of the Interior will be Dr. James E. Officer, Associate Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and Newton W. Edwards, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public Land Management.
Other United States delegates will be: Dr. William H. Kelly, Director of the Bureau of Ethnic Research, University of Arizona; Dr. Erwin Rabeau, Deputy Chief, Division of Indian Health, United states Public Health Service; Mrs. Elizabeth Enochs, Senior Social Adviser of Economic Resources Office, Agency for International Development, Washington, D. C.; and Earl Lubensky, Political Affairs Officer, United States Embassy, Quito, Ecuador.
The United States will also be represented by social scientists who will present technical papers on community development.
The Inter-American Indian Institute, headquartered in Mexico City, was established in 1940 by an international convention. It is a specialized technical agency of the Organization of American States and functions as a clearing house for information about activities carried on by the member governments for the benefit of their Indian populations.
The Quito conference this month will focus on economic development programs for Indian tribes and communities, an issue of increasing interest to member governments.
