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Tuesday, 30 June 2009 |
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By Emily Hone FORT HALL — A delegation from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes was invited to take part in the swearing in of former Brigham Young University law professor Larry EchoHawk as the U.S. Department of Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs on June 26.
 Contributed Photo
Larry EchoHawk, left, and U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar stand on the stage at the Department of Interior prior to EchoHawk being sworn in as the department’s assistant secretary for Indian affairs on June 26, while on the floor Indian veterans and dancers post the colors. Fourth from right are Shoshone-Bannock tribal members Arnold Appeney, Gifferd Osborne and Lee Juan Tyler, a member of the Fort Hall Business Council. Also onstage at left is Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Information Officer Nedra Darling. Others pictured are unidentified.
Beech was in Washington as part of another delegation who went to testify for funding for the Tribes’ Justice Center, but also attended the EchoHawk ceremony.
According to Beech, EchoHawk said he feels a special closeness to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes for the chance they took in hiring him as their tribal attorney in 1976 when he was a young lawyer fresh out of law school.
She said in a heartfelt address, EchoHawk said that first hiring paved the way to his taking the helm as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Tribes allowed him to run for and serve in the Idaho Legislature while remaining employed as their general counsel. He later ran for and was elected to the office of Idaho Attorney General, the first Native American in history to be elected a state official. He also ran for governor but was defeated.
“For the next nine years after I was selected as tribal attorney, I served with my heart and soul, and the Tribes became a part of me,” EchoHawk said. “I would not be here today if that decision had not been made, and I want to say thank you.”
Beech said seven eagle feather bonnets were carefully transported from Fort Hall to the nation’s capital and won by participating tribal members, including Councilman Lee Juan Tyler, who offered a prayer at the swearing in ceremony.
She said following the two-hour ceremony EchoHawk and Salazar were invited to the floor for a short traditional round dance with drumming provided by the Spring Creek Singers and led by 8-year-old Keno Coby Jr. of Fort Hall.
The boy’s father, LaGrand, made a small drum that could be transported by plane especially for the event, Beech said. Randy’L Teton, who modeled for the Sacajewea coin, presented gifts to Salazar and EchoHawk from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
Beech said EchoHawk used the opportunity to acknowledge the unprecedented number of Native Americans recently appointed to high level federal position, including Kim Teehee, Cherokee, President Barak Obama’s choice for the newly created position of senior advisor on Indian affairs at the White House, and Hilary Tompkins, Navajo, Interior’s new solicitor general. Both attended Friday’s ceremony.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 July 2009 )
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