OPA

I have chosen to discuss two subjects today - - Indian development and the development of the natural resources of the West.

It would be an untoward event if any Secretary of the Interior appeared before "an assembled group of Western Governors and did not discuss natural resources. It is, on the other hand, a rare occasion when any Secretary does discuss the future of our Indian people with a gathering of Governors. However, the time has come for all of us to face up to the failure of many of our Indian programs, and I propose that we confront them candidly here today.

What are the facts about America1s Indians in the year 1966? It is not a pleasant picture: the great majority of Indians live in the 19 western States; most reservation Indians in your States are unemployed or semi-employed; America's Indians have been accurately described as most impoverished minority in America; the housing of our Indian people is, without doubt, the least habitable of that enjoyed by any group in our country.

These facts are beyond dispute. To put it bluntly, the Indian programs and policies of the past have fallen far short of success. This is the brutal truth and the time has come to face up to its implications.

President Johnson's work for eradication of poverty sweeps over all reservations. No one thinks we can do it with one stroke but it is a target.

There has been much soul searching on the Indian issue in recent days. Two weeks ago I spent three days in Santa Fe with Congressional leaders and top officials of the Indian Bureau discussing the Indian problem. In my judgment we are at a turning point in Indian policy - - and the States have a very big stake in the decisions which must be made in the months ahead.

Some of you may say to yourselves "Yes, Indian policy has often failed -- and it is all the Federal Government's fault." This, I submit, is a very easy generalization -- as easy as the effort of some to pin all the blame on the Indian Bureau.

To be utterly honest about it, all of us have failed - - and I fear we will not succeed until we re-orient the whole effort and enlist the best efforts of all governments - - and the best brains of private industry as well.

It is true that the Indian Bureau might have done a better job -- but it has been working with outdated tools and outmoded institutions; it is true that the performance of the Interior Department as a whole has not been adequate; it is also true that the Federal Government has failed to marshal all of the resources available to it to aid our Indian people; and, finally, it ma y be likewise true that the Secretary of the Interior himself -- the trustee and outmoded "White Father" -- has failed, up to now, to provide the leadership needed to lead our Indian people out of poverty and into the mainstream of American life.

Having performed this mea culpa, let me quickly add my conviction that the States and local governments of the West have also failed to do their part to make a new day and a new hope possible for their Indian neighbors.

What are the facts in 1966 about the attitude of State and local governments toward the Indian citizens of their States?

I recognize that several States provide school and welfare service on the same basis as for their other citizens -- and some of you may consider my criticism unfair. But to speak in general terms, it has been my experience that many States firmly resist assuming responsibilities for their Indian populations even when these responsibilities rightfully belong to State and local governments; such States consider their Indians "Federal" rather than State citizens and regard Indian advancement as a 98% "Federal problem."

Few States have acted to encourage the development of Indian resources; few States have even recognized -- much less done anything about -- the special education needs of Indian youngsters (in spite of the fact that more than 2/3 of all the Indian children in the country are enrolled in public schools); few States have really encouraged Indians to participate fully in their political life; and many have been indifferent much of the time toward the general welfare of their Indian citizens.

I am not suggesting that all of the Federal Government's responsibilities towards Indians should now be shifted to the States. I am intimating that most of the western States have done too little too late to aid the cause of Indian development.

Some States, worse, have missed what I believe is the main point - - that the economy of every State will be strengthened as the Indians are helped to develop their human and natural resources to the maximum degree possible.

While there is much the Federal Government can and will do, I know very well bringing them into the mainstream of American life will depend more on the Indians themselves, the assistance and encouragement given by their neighbors and the State and local governments in eliminating discrimination and equipping them for modern American life.

In our Federal system almost every function or service provided by government is a cooperative one involving every level of government to some degree. Whatever may be the trends in other areas, Federal responsibility will decrease and State increase as we succeed in moving the Indians into the mainstream.

Today in several States the most valuable tracts of land for city development are owned by Indians. In some States the most valuable undeveloped farm lands, the best stands of timber, and finest outdoor recreation sites (ski slopes, trout streams, lake fronts, and scenic vistas) are owned by Indian tribes. Development of these assets will be good for the Indians -- and good for the States.

During the past year we have sought special legislation to permit the long-term leasing of several Indian reservations which lie at; the edges of major western communities. Such legislation, if enacted, would permit urban industrial development to take place on these large virgin tracts. There can be no doubt about the economic contribution of such development to the general welfare of the communities involved. Yet representatives of State and local governments have objected to the proposed legislation and the development which would follow because the Indian land does not, at present, contribute ad valorem taxes to the State. Such an appraisal ignores the fact that Indian resources move into the State stream of commerce, that industrial development on Indian reservations means a bigger payroll for both Indians and non-Indians, and that Indians pay sales, gasoline, and excise taxes which are now the largest revenue sources of most States. Furthermore, such shortsightedness ignores the fact that so long as Indian reservation lands remain undeveloped, the Indians living on them will be dependent upon the Federal Government and their property will continue to enjoy tax exemption.

I should like, however, to acknowledge that a few States have taken a militant interest in the development of Indian resources. Governor Sawyer, of our host State, has done much to encourage the development of Pyramid Lake, property of the Paiute Indians two members of whose Council are in this room -- and one of America's most beautiful, unspoiled, undeveloped recreation areas, lying only thirty-five minutes from Reno. And certainly the State of Florida has given all possible assistance in developing the resources of the Seminole. There are other exceptions but in the main the States have either resisted the development of Indian property or shown only passive interest in resource development.

The quickest way to bring Indian reservations into a role which is fully contributory to the economic life of the surrounding area is to develop them.

Indian parents want and deserve the best possible education for their children. To provide that quality education the States must recognize and provide for the special needs of the Indian children or they will continue to drop out or be pushed out - - in shocking numbers - - before graduation. Here is an opportunity to assist the Indian people in a most meaningful manner.

The States today enjoy the greatest opportunity in history to recognize and to deal with these special educational needs. P. L. 89-10, providing aid for elementary and secondary education, is an act specifically designed for the special educational needs of disadvantaged youngsters in the American public school system. Some of the western States are receiving large sums of money under this act to provide for Indian youngsters who come from homes where the family income is less than $2, 000 per year. During the months ahead I shall be much interested in observing the extent to which the public schools develop educational programs specifically designed for their disadvantaged Indian children. I know that the members of the Education staff of the BIA are eager to share with the public school districts the things which they have learned about the special educational needs of Indian youngsters and the means of satisfying those needs. I truly hope that P. L. 89-10 will provide the basis for a much closer relationship between the public and Federal schools which serve Indian youngsters.

In the area of economic development there are also Federal programs which point the way toward a greater assumption of responsibility, by States, for their Indian populations. The Economic Development Act established a means by which States can help Indians and others to develop their resources and to improve their economic lot. To the best of my knowledge not a single State thus far has submitted on its own initiative to the EDA a program primarily planned to assist an economically disadvantaged Indian population. Some reservations do qualify as depressed areas in their own right and from these reservations proposals have come but these were Indian originated - - not originated by the States.

Somewhat the same situation prevails with respect to the Community Action Programs of the Office of Economic Opportunity. Wherever Indian reservations are entitled by law to submit their own Community Action Programs, they have done so. However, the small, unorganized Indian communities, both on and off reservation, have seldom been included by State and local governments in their plans for Community Action Programs.

Through the Economic Opportunity Act, the Economic Development Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the States have been presented with golden opportunities to contribute to the educational and economic advancement of Indian populations, and I strongly urge you to respond to the opportunities and the challenges involved. I am here today to ask you to join with the Federal Government in reviewing the whole area of Indian need and the spectrum of possibilities which are at hand to alleviate Indian poverty and provide a happier, and more dignified life for the first citizens of this land.

We are at work now in Washington on new foundation legislation designed to strike off the shackles which have restricted Indian development, to permit Indian tribes to use the tools and institutions of modern corporate management, to grant the Indians entry to the many markets of America - - to take a whole series of steps that will enable Indians to move forward, to build viable communities and to enjoy the optimum development of their resources.

I believe that the latter half of the 1960's can be as dynamic a period of development in the field of Indian affairs as has the first half in the field of resource development.

We have worked together on all levels, and since 1960 many dramatic resource development decisions have been made -- many bold new programs have been initiated that are transforming the West.

A quick glance at history reveals the rapid pace of action: in January 1960 the Columbia River Treaty was still in the negotiation stage with our neighbor nation to the north; the bold California water plan advocated by Pat Brown still awaited the decision of the California electorate; the joint Federal-State San Luis Project in the Central Valley of California was yet to be authorized by the Congress; California, Arizona, and Nevada were in the ninth year of their bitter, unproductive lawsuit over the waters of the lower Colorado; the Northwest and Pacific Southwest had the prospect of great gain by interconnecting their power systems, but no plan to carry out an interconnection; the States of the Upper Colorado River Basin were unconnected by heavy electric transmission grid - - indeed, the major electric power systems of the West were regionalized and unintegrated; in the region as a whole - - save for the Bonneville marketing area in Washington and Oregon - - the old public-private power arguments were continuing full sway, in many cases to the detriment of development beneficial to both; and many scenic masterpieces in the West which belonged in our National Park System were unrecognized and unprotected.

Where are we today - - in 1966?

The Columbia is now a chain of lakes from Grand Coulee Dam to Bonneville. The Missouri is tamed. Glen Canyon and Flaming Gorge dams are producing power. Point Reyes and Canyonland National Parks are realities.

Early in 1962, the Department of the Interior concluded its negotiations with the non-Federal utilities in the five-State Colorado River storage project area for a joint Federal and non-Federal utility system for the marketing of Colorado River storage project, with substantial benefits to both the Federal and non-Federal power systems and to their customers.

The Colorado River Storage Project transmission system negotiations set a pattern which brought about the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest intertie -- the most imaginative electric transmission system conceived by any group of engineers throughout the world.

This intertie system will span the country from the Columbia River to Phoenix, Arizona, and, including two 750,000 volt d. c. lines, will tie together the major Federal, public, and private electric systems in the eleven contiguous western States which, along with Alaska and Hawaii, make up the Western Governors I Conference. The Pacific Northwest-Southwest intertie is, therefore, itself a symbol of the inter-regional cooperation of these States.

The non-Federal utilities in the southwestern area have moved rapidly to build on the foundation provided by the intertie. In September of 1964, they formed a joint planning organization, Western Energy Supply and Transmission Associates, or WEST, as it is called. Negotiations between the Department of the Interior and WEST are under way for the establishment of cooperative coordination and integration arrangements. Under these arrangements the hydro output of the Government‘s Colorado River plants and the steam power produced by the non-Federal utilities will complement each other for mutual benefit.

Within the last two weeks, the Department has reached an historic agreement with the utilities involved that opens the way for the construction of two new coal-burning generating plants in the Colorado River basin. These are the Mohave plant to be located here in Nevada just below Davis Dam, and the Four Corners plant in the Four Corners area of New Mexico near Farmington on the San Juan River. These plants will each produce 1500 megawatts of power -- enough to serve two cities the size of Philadelphia. More than 1850 miles of transmission lines will feed the power from these plants to both the Los Angeles area and El Paso, Texas.

The agreement covers the principles to be followed by the Department in making available water, rights-of-way, the plant sites, and coal from the Navajo and Hopi reservations. The projects will afford important economic opportunities to the Indian tribes from whose reservations the coal will come and upon one of which the Four Corners plant itself is located. The opportunity afforded to utilize Indian coal resources was an important factor in the selection of the location for these two plants. These plants demonstrate not only regional, economic planning at its best, but they also serve to demonstrate what can be accomplished by bold, imaginative joint action by the Federal Government and the utility industry.

We have spelled out in the agreement for the first time measures to abate air and water pollution resulting from the operation of the two steam plants. The inclusion of these conservation stipulations is a concrete step in carrying out President Johnson's instructions that the Federal Government provide an example to the Nation in pollution control. We expect these provisions to serve as the model for similar provisions in future agreements.

The Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest intertie is itself but the opening step in large-scale, -inter-regional connections. Studies of extra high voltage intertie between the Bonneville system and the Bureau of Reclamation's Missouri River Basin grid, and between that system and the Southwestern Power Administration are under way. But I do not want to dwell over-long on the electric power aspects of resource development since 1960. We are at new take-off points in water resource development, in recreation, in natural beauty, in cleaning up and protecting our environment, and in the utilization of our public lands.

The organization of the Western States Water Council less than a year ago has brought the Western States together in a new form of cooperative endeavor. The Council has made an auspicious beginning as a clearing house and generator of ideas in western water development.

The Water Resources Planning Act of 1965 represented a major breakthrough in Federal-State water resource planning.

The Water Quality Act of 1965 marked the start of an intensive attack to halt and roll back the ravages of pollution. President Johnson's plan to transfer the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration to the Department of the Interior will, if it becomes effective, as I am confident it will, enable us to coordinate the war on pollution fully with comprehensive water resource programs.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act demonstrated the determination of the Administration and the Congress to make substantial investments to provide for the recreation needs of the American people.

The Wilderness Act of 1964 marked yet another take-off point in resource preservation that was reached in the mid-60's. I am hopeful that it will soon be joined by the Wild Rivers legislation that has passed the Senate and is now before the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

We have tremendous new tools which can be used, if we have the vision and courage to use them wisely, to enrich our national well- being and to improve the quality of our environment; in short, to accelerate the achievement of a better life.

We have seen, particularly in the emerging pattern of regional cooperation in the development of our power resources, the benefits that can flow from large-scale cooperative undertakings.

The question is whether in the latter half of the decade of the 60's we can approach our remaining energy and water problems with similar statesmanship. We are, today, at another turning point. The West faces a choice of a return to the old trenches, to the old battlegrounds of inter-regional strife or it can use the new techniques of compromise and accommodation.

The problems, as I know only too well, are difficult. I refuse, however, to accept the premise that they are insurmountable.

Regional cooperation does not mean that one region of the West should or can be expected to jeopardize its own future prospects for water development.

Regional cooperation does not mean that wasteful or inefficient water use practices can be tolerated.

What regional cooperation does mean, at the mid-point of the 1960’s, is that the process of fact finding and of hard examination of water supply problems and alternative solutions to those problems should begin and begin promptly.

We have developed new patterns of cooperation between States -- and between regions. We have made it plain in our areas that public power and private power can co-exist to mutual advantage. Surely we can build on this base -- and build a new West that is clean and green and bright with promise.

The war on poverty, and our strivings toward a Great Society, have brought the American Indian people into the forefront of the national conscience. There are organizations, such as the Indian Rights Association, which have for years plugged away in behalf of reservation Indians, but the voices have been like whispers under the din of other issues. The voice of the Indian people themselves has not yet been raised in one chorus, although there are signs that this is happening now.

We are therefore at a crossroads in Federal-Indian relations, and I sense that it may be the last cross-road wherein the choices remain wide and good. Let us, therefore, pool our best judgments in order to arrive at the destination all of us seek: A place in contemporary American history in which the Indian people may take as full a part in the affairs of this country as do other American citizens.

A conference on Indian affairs was called by Secretary Udall two weeks ago. Although the locale was Santa Fe, New Mexico, the conference was national in scope. At that time he called for "foundation legislation" -- either in the form of an omnibus measure or a series of measures -- designed to pave the way for solving the hitherto seemingly insoluble questions arising from the trusteeship status of Indian lands.

The Secretary said: "We cannot make policy and implement it on our own, particularly policy requiring appropriations or new laws. The Congress is our partner ….. As far as the Indian people themselves are concerned, I think they have been too content at times to make the Bureau a scapegoat. There has been too much timidity ….. I think that our Indian people must realize that the way to progress in this country is usually that of boldness and taking of risks, not of timidity….. Several States and local governments are also responsible ….. The attitude is "the Indian people are not our problem; let the Federal Government take care of them."

" ….. New waves have washed ashore in the last five years. Our country has moved into an unprecedented period of peacetime prosperity….. The Indian people should be tied into the great things that have been happening….. "

The first thing I intend to do is meet with Indian people -- many of them -- in various parts of the country. We need to have a conference between the Federal administrators of Indian policy and the Indian people who are directly affected by policy decisions. Out of them I expect to come back with more concrete ideas as to how we can deal with the underlying issues.

The subcommittee on Indian affairs of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs earlier this month issued a report which requires a response from us within 90 days. The report raises certain questions, among which are these:

(1) "What is the Federal policy with respect to termination of Federal trusteeship responsibility for Indian lands?" On this point, I should say that the policy remains the same as it has consistently been over the past five years. But the gray area of what constitutes the proper approach is one which the Indian people themselves will have to help us define.

(2) The second issue raised by the Senate also involves trusteeship responsibilities, and deals with the multiplying heirship problem. Indian trust lands that are individually rather than tribally owned have, over the years, become fractionated into many non-economic holdings as the result of inheritances. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is bookkeeper. The bookkeeping is highly costly. The difficulty in solving the heirship problem seems to be in arriving at a consensus. Everyone has a different idea as to how it should be done. Maybe we should think of alternative ways to settle the problem, giving the option to the Indian people.

(3) A third point demanding attention is the status of Federal education programs for Indian people. What are the routes we might best travel to accelerate public school opportunity for all Indian children?

At present, our Federal schools enroll about 50,000 -- or one third -- of the reservation Indian children. The remainder are in public schools, or, in a few instances, parochial or other schools. Our major school construction programs during the past five years have been in areas which are remote from public schools; and we have been concentrating upon elementary school construction. Is it advisable to attempt more of the 'peripheral dormitory' approach -- i.e. establishing dormitories adjacent to public schools so that Indian children from remote areas may attend public schools? This is being done in some cases with respect to teen-agers. But what about the little ones?

An overriding question also still remains: How capable would a public school district be to take on, in sudden influx, a whole classroom full of Indian children? Aside from the physical limitations, there are the other considerations: How skilled are the public school teachers and counselors in providing programs for the non-English-speaking, culturally different children who come from remote areas?

A way through this morass of problems must be found. We Federal administrators cannot find it alone. Satisfactory solutions may be found only with the fullest cooperation among all levels of government, in concert with the Indian people themselves.

(4) Another question raised by the Senate subcommittee was that of industrial-business development of Indian reservation lands versus an all-out effort to encourage migration outward into the centers of job opportunity.

The ultimate answers must be the result of voluntary decisions by the Indian people. By an enlightened program of vocational training and job placement aid -- which we have -- it has been possible during the past decade to help about 50,000 Indian people settle successfully in off-reservation communities. There are some Indian areas that offer very little promise in the way of massive commercialization. These are the areas that are removed geographically from the business and industrial centers. Development for tourist recreational purposes remains a good hope, but not necessarily the whole answer. On the other hand, there are some reservation areas that hold tremendous potential for varied economic development. But, no matter what approaches may seem best as the result of feasibility studies -- and those we have financed in 80 or more instances -- there must be comprehension on the part of the Indian people as to the nature of the national economy and the means they must take to benefit from our continuing economic growth.

These fundamental questions -- and other questions that arise out of them must become the focus of our attention.

The national conscience has been stirred by the plight of reservation Indians. We no longer need to “sell” Indians to the people of this country. What we need now is to draw the Indian people to the conference tables, together with the best minds in education and finance and community development and government administration. The paternalistic approach is good no longer. It has resulted, in its worst manifestations, in a culture of poverty, and even at best it encourages a dependency approach to life.

This is not the way to fulfillment of the American dream. And surely the American dream of the good life, the active life, the life of self-determination, should be the fire to rekindle in the hearts of the first Americans.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR BIA TEACHER--Mrs. Iva Kingsley, the academic head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs School at Kayenta, Ariz., was recently honored as an Outstanding World Educator. The award was presented by the Society of International Educators, headquartered in London, and recognizes Mrs. Kingsleys skilled service in elementary education. Mrs. Kingsley has been a Bureau teacher for the past 26 years, with the exception of three years spent in teaching military dependent children at Flagstaff, Ariz. She began her career on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1940 and first went to the Navajo Reservation in 1948 as elementary supervisor for the area that includes Chinle and Tuba City, Ariz. She transferred to Kayenta in 1955.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ON WASHINGTON RESERVATION--The Quinault Indians of Western Washington are not going to be left behind when it comes to community planning. Recently begun at Queets Village on their reservation is a pilot project in total redevelopment for a community of about 31 families.

Planning includes new housing, roads, water and sewerage systems, and a variety of community improvements. While major planning is still in progress, the initial steps such as on-site lot surveys and land status determinations are nearly completed.

PHOENIX INDIAN SCHOOL AUDIOVISUAL PROGRAM--A demonstration by students from the Phoenix Indian School and their audiovisual aids teacher attracted much interest and comment at a recent convention in Phoenix of the Arizona Association for Audiovisual Education, attended by nationally known specialists in the field.

The concept of the Indian School's Instructional Materials Center was explained by the teacher, while students demonstrated the production of such study materials as graphic displays, filmstrips, films, slides, transparencies and photographs.

Dr. Mendel Sherman, Professor of Education from Indiana University's Audiovisual Center was among the interested viewers. Dr. Sherman, who heads a study under the National Defense Education Act to determine quantitative standards for audiovisual communications areas, indicated that the Phoenix School is under consideration for a case study.

TURTLE MOUNTAIN INDIANS PLAN TOURIST ATTRACTION-- Chipewyan Authentics, a tribal enterprise of the Turtle Mountain Reservation Indians, has announced plans to construct a replica Chippewa village near the company plant at Belcourt, N. Dak. Ground leveling and other preliminary site work is now in progress.

The village, an authentic model of a Chippewa community of the past, will be planned by Indian employees of the plant and will offer examples of the company's products--replica Indian artifacts such as weapons, games and peace pipes--for sale to visitors. The opening has been tentatively scheduled for June 1st.

The Belcourt plant is about fifteen miles from Peace Arch, the gateway between the United States and Canada through which about 225,000 travelers pass each year.

BIA HELPS ORGANIZE NEW ASSOCIATION--When a national association was recently organized for educators and linguists who teach English as a second language, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was among the founders.

The Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) adopted a constitution and elected officers at a conference held March 17-19 in New York City. A former chief of BIA's Education Branch, Mrs. Hildegarde Thompson, was elected to the Executive Committee.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs will take a special interest in the Association's activities because of the Federal school system it operates for American Indian and Alaska native children where other schools are unavailable or remote.

Many students in BIA schools first encounter the English language when they start to learn their ABC's, The Bureau, therefore, seeks new and effective English teaching methods for its own school system and encourages their adoption by other schools that serve reservation children.

TESOL plans to publish a journal for language teachers and hopes to provide a channel for expanding knowledge and sharing information among interested professional people in the field.

SANTA FE INSTITUTE STUDENTS PURSUE ADVANCED STUDY--A recent survey by the Institute of American Indian Arts at Santa Fe, N. Mex., revealed that many former students engage in advanced studies in art fields at other institutions.

Of 65 former students polled, representing nearly 40 Indian groups, more than half were engaged in advanced work in such Subjects as sculpture, painting, textile design, commercial art and ceramics. They are enrolled in a wide variety of colleges and technical schools, from Central Washington State College at Ellensburg, Wash., to the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State.

Five graduates in the past two years have won scholarships amounting to one-half of their tuition at the San Francisco Art Institute. Others have been able to continue their education with the aid of grants from tribal scholarship funds or from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Established in 1962, by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the unique Santa Fe institution fosters the talents of budding artists who come from every Indian population area and from Alaska native villages. An accredited high school program with arts electives is offered in combination with a post-high school vocational arts program that prepares the student for employment or for further study.

CHIPPEWAS TO GET ON-THE-JOB TRAINING--The Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced the award of two contracts to provide job training for Chippewa Indians. A $14,300 contract with Habitant Shops, Inc., of Bay City, Mich., will train 61 Chippewas from the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota in occupations that involve processing cedar logs into various kinds of fencing. Training will be conducted in their home State.

A second contract for $3,200, negotiated by the Bureau with Chippewayan Authentics of Belcourt, N. Dak., will provide on-the-job training for eight local Indians in the manufacture of replica Indian artifacts. The company is a tribal enterprise of the Turtle Mountain Chippewas.

INDIAN CLAIMS ACTIONS--The Indian Claims Commission has awarded $2,450,000 to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. (Dockets Nos. 264; 264-A; and 264-B) The award represents additional payment for an estimated 3,559,000 acres of land in Washington and Oregon, ceded to the United States under the treaty of June 9, 1855; compensation for an estimated 12,000 acres excluded by erroneous survey from the reservation; and damages from the loss of fish and eel runs in the Umatilla River.

In a second case (No. 47567) involving a claim of the Confederated Bands of Ute Indians, the Court of Claims issued an order approving a compromise and awarding $4,479,498 as compensation for misuse of tribal funds.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall today urged the tens of millions of visitors who will enjoy Interior-administered recreation areas this year under the “Discover America" slogan to "discover, also, that safe travel begins with the traveler."

Secretary Udall estimated that a record high of approximately 185,000,000 visitor-days of use will be recorded in areas managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation. The 1965 total was about 173 million.

"The upswing in sales of the $7 Golden Passport to Federal recreation areas indicates that more people than ever before are preparing to move into the countryside and enjoy the hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful spots dedicated to their use by Interior,” Secretary Udall said. "At the same time, safety experts in the Department are becoming increasingly aware that the wholesome outdoors is not always the most healthful for those who ignore the basic rules of accident prevention."

Under the President's Mission Safety-70 program, calling for a reduction of injuries not only among Federal workers, but for users of Federal recreation areas and other sites, the Department has added many safeguards the past several months. The Job Corps has had a leading role in speeding this work, Secretary Udall added.

But, he said, new hazards develop quickly.

“Typical of these," Secretary Udall said, "are the dangers of asphyxiation while camping. Last year--in outdoor settings--six people lost their lives in our national parks because they heated their tents or trailers with charcoal-fired units, usually barbecues. The coals depleted the air of oxygen and death resulted. These six deaths in a single year from a single cause can be compared with the preceding 19 years in our parks when a total of only five such deaths was recorded."

Following are summaries of recreational opportunities on Interior-administered areas and some basic safety rules:

National Park Service

The National Park Service, which administers 225 areas and anticipates 128 million visitors during 1966, its 50th Anniversary Year, offers these tips:

1. See a Ranger, especially if it is your first visit to an area, to become acquainted with unusual weather conditions, terrain, wildlife, or other features.

2. Let Park headquarters know if you plan a trip away from the "populated" areas of a park.

3. Stay away from wild animals--they may attack without warning. Keep food safely stored to prevent raids.

4. Children should be watched so they won't become lost or venture into dangerous areas.

5. Drive carefully. Be prepared to stop for animals. Be alert for natural hazards, such as loose rocks. Guard against "freezing" at the wheel because of precipitins cliffs. Even in daytime driving, keep your headlights on. Drive defensively; others probably are also strangers to the road.

6. Don't over-exert. Wear proper clothing and low-heeled shoes when walking.

7. Be extremely careful with fire; do not build any kind of fire in an unventilated or poorly ventilated space.

8. Never swim alone. When you do swim, avoid dangerous water.

9. Ask a Ranger's advice before boating on any park water.

The Park Service points out that motor vehicle accidents and falls of persons lead in causes of nonfatal injuries in Park areas. Fatal accidents are almost evenly divided between motor vehicle accidents and drowning. Falls rank next.

Bureau of Land Management

About 460 million acres of public land, administered by the Bureau of Land Management, await vacationers. More than 100 developed campgrounds are ready for use in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. You are welcome to make your own camp, away from developed facilities, if you observe a few rules. Some safety tips:

1. Be extremely careful with fire.

2. Observe regulations and common-sense rules regarding firearms.

3. Watch for wild animals on roads. Give logging trucks ample room.

4. Do not go into remote areas without leaving word as to your destination and your intended length of stay. Take ample water, a good map, compass, first aid kit, spare rations, extra clothing.

5. If you are on a hike--or are walking back from a disabled vehicle, walk on the left--facing traffic.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian tribes, which operate recreational areas in 22 States and are planning to be hosts to 7 million visitors this year, have been busy installing additional safety devices, including warning signs, fencing, and guardrails.

Because many of the recreation areas have expanses of water, Bureau of Indian Affairs safety officials urge guests on reservations to observe normal precautionary measures. These include: Remain on shore during inclement weather. Permit only experienced handlers to operate boats. Be watchful of children and do not permit inexperienced swimmers to go beyond safe depths. Do not "horseplay."

"Horseplay," add the Indians, "is for horses--not for humans enjoying water sports."

In addition to water activities, outings on reservations can be devoted to sightseeing, picnicking, scientific-historic studies, attendance at Indian ceremonials and dramas, fishing, hunting, hiking, and mountain climbing.

Some of the reservations offer horseback riding and golfing.

Fish and Wildlife Service

Scattered throughout the United States are 297 National Wildlife Refuges totaling 28 million acres, which are expected to be the scene of 16 million visitor-days of use this year.

While these areas, which include lakes and streams, are managed primarily for various species of wildlife, they are open to the public as long as basic purposes of the refuges are not jeopardized. Activities available include picnicking, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, and wildlife observation.

Water safety and fire prevention are stressed along with the warning: "Do not feed or handle any animals,"

Designated swimming areas will be roped-in during periods of peak use. Roads have been improved for safety, but not for high-speed use.

Public awareness has helped prevent damage to signs and other safety installations, but vandalism still remains a problem.

Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation, which has created 200 recreation areas encompassing over 4.5 million acres in the 17 Western States while developing water-resource projects primarily for irrigation and power, expects a considerable increase this year over the more than 35 million visitors who enjoyed these spots last year.

Reclamation has a carefully planned safety program, "Operation Westside" which is conducted in cooperation with the American Red Cross. Thirty-six community water-safety councils have been created to educate and protect the public in recreation areas throughout the West.

Chief among causes of drowning at Reclamation sites are children swimming without adult supervision, overloaded boats, and insufficient water safety equipment in boats.

In predicting increased use of Reclamation-created water areas, the Bureau points out that one of its new lakes--Lake Meredith, created by the recently completed Sanford Dam--drew approximately 250,000 fun seekers to the Texas Panhandle the first six months it was open to the public.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs today announced the award of a $161,960 contract for road improvement on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. The reservation was among those hard-hit by floods in 1965 which washed away several accesses to Indian communities.

The contract calls for construction of a 135-foot bridge over the Warm Springs River, replacing an unsafe suspension span that has been condemned for heavy equipment. The work will also include grading and crushed rock surfacing of a four and one-half mile stretch of the lower Warm Springs River-Webster Road, about 12 miles northeast of the town of Warm Springs, Oregon.

When completed, the project will provide an all-weather road along the River, serving both reservation residents and the visitors to reservation recreational facilities.

Sixteen bids were received, ranging up to $244,355. The low and successful bidder was W. &W. Construction Company of Stayton, Oregon.

Responsibility for the administration of the Federal Water Pollution Control program was transferred today to the Department of the Interior from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall began immediately to exercise his new authority by issuing guidelines to the States for the setting of water quality standards on the Nation's interstate waters.

Under the Federal Water Quality Act of 1965 Congress required the States to set quality standards on interstate waters by June 30, 1967. If a State fails to set adequate standards, they will be set by the Secretary of the Interior. To date 27 States have indicated their intention to meet the '67 deadline.

In a letter addressed to the 50 Governors, Secretary Udall urged a Federal-State partnership approach aimed at assuring the Nation the supply of clean water necessary for its continuous growth. Secretary Udall enclosed copies of the guidelines developed by the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. The guidelines require that economic, health, conservation, and aesthetic values be considered in determining the most appropriate use of a stream. They also require that the States hold public hearings before setting quality standards.

In issuing the guidelines, Secretary Udall said, "President Johnson has made it clear that 'no one has the right to use America's rivers and America's waterways that belong to all the people as a sewer."

"The standard of purity we are asking the States to provide for our rivers constitutes one of our best tools for upgrading our waters, and for drawing the line against any further abuse of our water resources," Udall said.

Travelers who are planning a trip to Washington, D. C., next month, can add an Indian Dance Festival to their itinerary. The Department of the Interior's Center for Indian Arts in America will stage a performing arts program made up entirely of Indians and scheduled for Carter Barron Amphitheatre on June 1, 3, 4 and 5. It will be produced by the staff and students of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and includes 75 performers representing 31 Indian tribes from all over the United States.

Thousands of vacationists viewed this Dance Festival last year and came away marveling at its color, its humor, its authenticity and its charm. This year's program, staged in a five-thousand seat outdoor arena, will offer even more in the way of spectacle and native talent. The drama is under the direction of Rolland Meinholtz of the Santa Fe Institute with a musical score composed by Louis Ballard, a Cherokee pianist and composer, who heads the Performing Arts Department there. Neil Parsons, a Blackfoot, has designed the sets, and the overall producer-director is Lloyd New, a Cherokee, who is Arts Director at Santa Fe.

A modern dance group, directed by Rosalie Jones, also of Indian descent, connects the various native dances into a complete story. The drama is called SIPAPU, based upon the doings of Coyote, who appears in one form or another in most Indian legends. Coyote is sometimes a kind of Reynard the Fox, another time a good person who teaches the Indian the ways of nature. The plot develops as Coyote weaves the story about man and life's experiences.

The title of the production derives from a Pueblo word meaning "opening in the earth," and has its concept in the religious myth, common to Indian groups, that man evolved through a number of underworlds of various colors and conditions, finally coming out of chaos into a world of light.

The entire SIPAPU production was designed to utilize the old, authentic forms of dance, song and pageantry, and to introduce new, creative approaches. The result is that the unique qualities of Indian culture are being extended into contemporary life by young Indian artists who value their tradition and are able to relate them to their own times.

NOTE: Mail orders should be addressed to: Indian Festival, Super Music City Box Office, 1344 F Street, NW., Washington, D. C. 20004.

Prices: $1.75, $2.50, $3.00, $3.85

"SIPAPU" B. drama of authentic American Indian tales, dances and chants, will be presented at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Washington, D. C., June 1, 3, 4 and 5 at 8:30 each evening. The show will include a cast of 75 performers representing 31 Indian tribes from virtually all over the country. The drama is sponsored by the Center for Arts of Indian America.

SIPAPU draws heavily upon the religious myth structure inherent in American Indian culture. The name stems from the Pueblo language meaning, "opening in the earth" and has reference to the belief, common to Indian myths, that man evolved through a number of underworlds of various colors and conditions, finally arriving out of chaos into this world of light.

To move the story along, "Coyote," another common figure in Indian lore is used. Coyote is a mystical figure capable of assuming various roles, sometimes malevolent, often beneficent, and always a kind of tricky Reynard the Fox. Coyote tells about man's struggles, his relationship to nature and the supernatural, leading up to the great day when Coyote ~teals fire for the benefit of mankind. Later, he teaches man how to weave, to plant, to build homes, and how to survive in the world.

Traditional music and language serve as the background for a number of Indian dances performed in authentic style in SIPAFU. Included among them are the Navajo Yei Bei Chei, the Navajo Fire Dance, Oklahoma Stomp Dance, Plains War Dance, Chilkat Witch Dance, Apache Mountain Spirit Dance and the Hopi Butterfly Dance. A unique musical effect is provided by the E-Yah-Pah-Hah Chanters, a student choral group featuring creative arrangements of traditional songs.

The overall impression that one comes away with after seeing SIPAPU is that the American Indian has retained unique cultural patterns despite some 400 years of melting-pot influence. The result, handed down by way of this richly mounted pageant-drama is to illustrate untapped sources of creative ideas available to all.

SIPAPU is under the direction of Rolland Meinholtz of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, who researched and developed the scenario, plotted the dramatic structure and coordinated the music, dance and total theme.

Music was composed by Louis Ballard, a Cherokee pianist and composer, who heads the Performing Arts Department at the Institute. A modern dance group that helps to weave the thread of the authentic dances and stories together, is under the direction of another Indian, Rosalie Jones, who received her Masters degree in the dance from the University of Utah.

Set designs are by Blackfoot Indian, Neil Parsons, who teaches painting at the Santa Fe school, and the entire production is under the supervision of Lloyd H. New, Arts Director, and Dr. George A. Boyce, Superintendent of the Institute of American Indian Arts.

The current production is an experimental search for a theatrical form within which to present a dramatic content that is unique and inherent in the daily life of the American Indian. Utilizing old, authentic forms of dance, song and pageantry while at the same time introducing new, creative approaches, it offers the modern, young Indian artist a chance for expression and a new pride in his traditions and culture.

Tickets for the production are on sale at Carter Barron Box Office, and Super Music City box office, 1344 F Street, NW., Washington, D. C.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall will meet in Washington, D. C., May 24 with representatives of several major electronics companies to explore ways of expanding industrial job opportunities for American Indians.

Mr. Udall said the meeting is the first step in an all-out drive to spur large-scale commercial activity in Indian areas.

Warren W. Frebel, Vice President and Director of Purchasing for the Magnavox Company, will serve as chairman of the meeting.

The electronics companies which have indicated they will be represented at the meeting include: American Broadcasting Company, Cinch Manufacturing Company, CTS Corporation, Litton Industries, Inc., P. R. Mallory Company, Radio Corporation of America, Sylvania Electronics Company, The Magnavox Company, Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge, Warwick-Sears, and Westinghouse Electric Corp.

Discussions will focus on (1) location of potential sites for electronics plants; (2) availability of Indian workers; (3) BIA financed on-the-job training programs; and (4) special problems such as the impact of industry on life in a semi-rural Indian community.

The May 24 meeting is part of Secretary Udall's plan to draw upon the advice and experience of American business in solving economic problems of reservation Indians.

Industries in the electronics field have been gravitating toward Indian areas recently in the search for expansion sites. Spokesmen for companies already employing Indians report that they respond quickly to training and have a natural dexterity that makes them excellent electronics workers.

"Hoss" Cartwright of "Bonanza" and Sergeant O'Rourke of "F Troop" are in there pitching for the American Indians.

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs announced that the two television personalities--Dan Blocker and Forrest Tucker--are making radio and TV spot announcements for the Bureau-sponsored campaign: "See America first with the first Americans."

The campaign is intended to encourage more summer vacationists to visit Indian reservations, become better acquainted with Indian life and history, enjoy the hunting and fishing, and buy Indian arts and handicrafts.

Tribal councils have been urged by the Bureau to determine how they can make best use of the anticipated increase in tourist dollars. The councils are expected to improve existing tourist facilities, build new ones, and in some cases, employ guides to show tourists highlights of reservation life.

Blocker and Tucker are donating their services, the Bureau of Indian Affairs said, because of "their desire to help improve the lot of Indian tribes.