Buck Martin, Director of the White House Conference on Indian Education, reported ·today (November 21, 1991) ~hat the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Choctaw Indian Tribe of Mississippi, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), and the National Indian Impacted School~ Association (NIISA) have given in excess of $20,000 to support the conference.
Martin made the announcement as the White House Conference on Indian Education Advisory Committee convened in Albuquerque to work on the agenda for the conference which is now only two months away. It is scheduled for January 22-24, 1992, in Washington, D.C.
"Tribal support for this conference is critical," Martin said, "for it demonstrates that tribes recognize that ultimately they must serve as educational catalysts for their future generations."
Bum Stiffarm, newly elected President of the National Indian Education Association, was in Albuquerque to present his organization's $5,000 contribution to the White House Conference.
"This conference is not an end unto itself," Stiffarm noted. "It is, rather, a place for an open exchange of views and experiences, and of working together to propose courses of action. The real challenge for Indian and Alaska Native people will be the education work we do after the Conference, including efforts in the context of our jobs as parents and grandparents, as school board members, as teachers and school officials, as tribal elders, and as tribal government officials."
In thanking the NIEA, NIISA, and Oneida and Choctaw tribes, Martin said that the "combination of tribal and national support illustrates that collectively Indians deem this conference crucial to setting a national Indian education agenda. Never before in history have we had an opportunity to determine our own destiny with respect to the education of our fellow tribal members."
Martin said that "Indian tribes recognize that ultimately they have the responsibility for the education of all their members. We have been bypassed by the industrial age and now must chart our futures in a technological era. This conference will equip us with a comprehensive plan as we approach the 21st century."
The White House Conference on Indian Education is Congressionally mandated and is a collaborative effort involving the White House, the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of the Interior. It will be held January 22-24, 1992, in Washington, D.C. at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel at Techworld. To inquire about hotel reservations, call (202) 898-9000; space is limited and the $97.00 per night rate is only guaranteed through December 1, 1991.
