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UPDATE: Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Honors American Indian Tribal Government

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 November 2005, 12:00 CST

TULSA, Okla., Nov. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Fourteen American Indian tribal government initiatives were honored last night by Harvard's Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations (Honoring Nations) awards program. Seven programs received a $10,000 award and seven received a $2,000 award in recognition of their achievements. Hundreds of guests attended the event held in conjunction with the 62nd Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians

"These honorees inspire us all. But even more, they plant seeds that provide for our future generations," said Chief Oren Lyons, faithkeeper of the Onondaga Indian Nation in central New York and chairman of the Honoring Nations Advisory Board. The Honoring Nations program identifies, celebrates, and shares exemplary tribal government programs among the 562 Indian nations in the United States.

This is Honoring Nations' fifth year of awards. Since the program's inception in 1998, more than one-quarter of the tribes in the United States have applied for an award and 78 tribal government initiatives have been honored. "These success stories are uplifting -- especially because they are fueling replication in Indian Country," noted Amy Besaw, director of the program.

The seven "High Honors" and seven "Honors" recipients were selected from a pool of applications representing 41 tribes and seven inter-tribal collaborations. At each stage of the selection process applications are judged on the criteria of effectiveness, significance, transferability, creativity, and sustainability. In addition to the awards, the Harvard Project prepares reports, case studies, and instructional materials based on the honorees' successes.

Based at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Honoring Nations is administered by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. The Harvard Project's goal is to understand the conditions under which self-determined social and economic development is achieved among American Indian nations. Honoring Nations is funded by the Ford Foundation, which also sponsors similar governmental best practices programs in Brazil, Chile, China, East Africa, Mexico, the Philippines, Peru, South Africa, and the United States.

For more information about Honoring Nations, visit the Harvard Project Web site at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hpaied/ or call 617- 495-1480.

Following is an updated list of the 2005 Honoring Nations "High Honors" and "Honors" Award Recipients.

-- Akwesasne Freedom School, Akwesasne Mohawk Nation - Rooseveltown, N.Y. ("High Honors")

-- Cherokee Language Revitalization Project, Cherokee Nation - Tahlequah, Okla.

-- Choctaw Tribal Court System, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians - Choctaw, Miss.

-- Flandreau Police Department, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe - Flandreau, S.D. ("High Honors")

-- The Hopi Land Team, The Hopi Tribe - Kykotsmovi, Ariz.

-- Miccosukee Tribe Section 404 Permitting Program, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida - Miami, Fla.

-- Migizi Business Camp, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians - Manistee, Mich.

-- Navajo Nation Sales Tax, The Navajo Nation - Window Rock, Ariz.

-- ONABEN's Innovative Models for Enterprise Development, ONABEN, a collaboration of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation - Tigard, Ore.

-- Oneida Nation Farms, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin - Seymour, Wis. ("High Honors")

-- Professional Empowerment Program, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate - Sisseton, S.D. ("High Honors")

-- Siyeh Corporation, Blackfeet Nation - Browning, Mont. ("High Honors")

-- Tribal Monitors Program, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe - Fort Yates, N.D. ("High Honors")

-- Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, Koyukon and Gwich'in Athabascan, Yupik, and Tlingit - Fairbanks, Alaska ("High Honors")

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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