National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel addresses delegates. Published September 19, 2019 TEMECULA, Calif. — Yesterday nearly 600 Tribal health providers, experts and advocates gathered for the opening session of the National Indian Health Board ’s (NIHB) annual National Tribal Health Conference to hear how Tribal leaders are strengthening sovereignty while partnering with federal agencies to ensure trust obligations are upheld. A Tribal leader panel discussion focused on tribal sovereignty in relation to health equity. Panelists included NIHB Chair and Great Plains Area representative, Victoria Kitcheyan; National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) President and Chickasaw Nation Lt. Governor, Jefferson Keel; St. Regis Mohawk Nation Tribal Chief, Beverly Cook; and Lummi Nation Tribal Councilmember, Nick Lewis. NIHB Chair Kitcheyan said that sovereignty means “we are in charge of the destiny of our people, and we cannot let the federal government dictate what we do on our lands. I want to remind people that our Tribal nations existed before their role and will live on past their role. So, we must remind them of our sovereignty.” NCAI President Keel said that everything tribes do is rooted in sovereignty. Remembering a time when Tribal citizens waited all day to see […]

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