|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 |
Reaching for Recognition
Fair Game
By Shay Totten [12.22.09]
After months without a chairperson, Gov. Jim Douglas appointed Charles Delaney-Megeso of Burlington to lead the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs.
The commission has had its share of internal political problems — three people have held the job in a year — as well as a general lack of support from the legislature and governor.
Delaney-Megeso, a Mazipskwik Abenaki, has worked on native issues for more than two decades. In the 1990s, he was the tribal band’s ambassador to the Vermont and U.S. governments. He was also an indigenous representative to the United Nations from 2002 to 2004, one of many from around the globe who helped draft the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Delaney-Megeso successfully convinced Burlington to recognize the Abenaki in 1995, and was one of the key figures lobbying the state legislature for Abenaki recognition and the creation of the VCNAA, which happened in 2006. He joined the VCNAA in September 2008.
At the beginning of 2009, the VCNAA made Delaney-Megeso its legislative liaison. During the session, he spoke with legislators about the possibility of officially “recognizing” various Abenaki bands next year — legislative “recognition” would lead to additional rights and benefits for the tribe.
Maybe someone should ask each gubernatorial candidate: Do you support full recognition?
In the meantime, Delaney-Megeso and the VCNAA are hosting forums throughout Vermont, trying to engage native people and familiarizing the general public with the commission’s work.
At a December 12 forum at the University of Vermont, Delaney-Megeso explained current efforts to preserve historic indigenous artifacts at the ferry landing near the Champlain Bridge. Layers of textile have been placed over the ground, followed by crushed stone, and then pavement, as part of the road construction. This was designed to protect the objects underneath, said John Crock, an archaeology professor at UVM.
Noting the site has always been a trade center, Crock said archaeologists found artifacts dating back 9000 years.
“This is a way of safeguarding our ancestors and preserving history,” said Delaney-Megeso. “And it could serve as a model for other projects.”
But he is just as interested in his tribe’s future as its past. Delaney-Megeso noted not a single Native American serves on the state’s regional Act 250 commissions, a situation he hopes will change — with or without legislation.
“I’m trying to create a door so other people can walk through it,” Delaney-Megeso said. “If the bands get recognition and the [VCNAA] gets empowered, then I’ve done my job. It is my fervent desire to have the Native American affairs commission achieve better standing to serve its peoples in the most democratic way possible.”
http://www.7dvt.com/2009your-health |
