On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, the California Valley Miwok Tribe’s Chairperson Silvia Burley and Vice Chairperson Anjelica Paulk attended the Tribal Leaders Preparatory Meeting hosted by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), of which CVMT is proud to be a member tribe.
The National Congress of American Indians was established in 1944 in response to the termination and assimilation policies the US government forced upon tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and status as sovereign nations. To this day, protecting these inherent and legal rights remains the primary focus of NCAI.
Members and guests were welcomed by newly elected NCAI President, Brian Cladoosby. The Tribal Leader Preparatory Meeting was held at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event began with a Tax Action Meeting, followed by the Tribal Leader Preparatory Meeting, and meetings with key federal officials. Tribal leaders discussed top priorities for the President, issues that should be raised with key Administration officials for each breakout session, Mascot Update, and Dialogue with Federal Partners which included Kevin Washburn, Interior; Elaine Buckberg, Treasury; and Nancy Berryhill, SSA.
Tribal leaders invited to attend the 5th White House Tribal Nations Conference began lining up at 12:00 noon to receive their pre-registration credentials. The White House security is very strict about invited guest presenting their credentials before being allowed into the White House Tribal Nations Conference. If one cannot show their credentials, they are denied access to participate in the event. In order to received their 2013 White House Tribal Nations Conference registration credentials, Tribal Leaders and Tribally Designated Representatives waited for White House Staff members to arrive at the NCAI event. White House Staff personally checked each badge with the intended Tribal Leader and/or Tribally Designated Representative, of which each (by invitation only) participant had to provide photo ID which was doubled checked and had to match the White House official roster.
The credentials are color-coded so that the participants holding credentials lined with gold coloring are allowed to sit in the middle section, first 5 rows nearest to the stage located inside the United States Department of the Interior, Sidney Yates Auditorium at 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
