THE COUNCIL • PAGE 1 Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Anchorage, AK Permit No. 537 D E N A ’ N E N A ’ H E N A S H O U R L A N D S P E A K S VOL. 28, NO. 1 A REPORT TO THE MEMBER TRIBES OF THE TANANA CHIEFS CONFERENCE JANUARY 2003 2003 TCC Annual Convention & Board of Directors Meeting TANANA CHIEFS CONFERENCE Subregional Advisory Board ELECTIONS CONVENTION Elections for the following seats will take place March 11-13, 2003 at the March 8 or 10, 2003 Subregional Advisory Board meetings at the TCC Executive Board of Directors: Chena River ✔ Yukon-Tanana (Fairbanks) Subregional Seat – two-year term Convention Center ✔ Yukon Koyukuk (Galena) Subregional Seat – two-year term Fairbanks, Alaska ✔ Yukon Flats (Fort Yukon) Subregional Seat – two-year term •Must be a current village delegate (director) (TCC bylaws Article More information will be provided in Seven Section 4) subsequent issues of The Council •Must be residents of the State of Alaska and must be Alaska Native newsletter and mail outs to members of a member village of the corporation (TCC bylaws Tribal Chiefs and Tribal Councils. Article Seven Section 1 and 2) • (Except for the President) Employees of the corporation shall not Interior Tribal Leaders Come Together to Organize be eligible to serve as directors or officers of the corporation. (TCC by laws Article Four Section 2) First Inter-Tribal Natural Resource TCC Health Board: ✔ Yukon Tanana (Fairbanks) Subregional Seat – three-year term Management Coalition TCC Education Council: On November 12-14, 2002 Tribal leaders from six Interior sub-regions met in ✔ Yukon Koyukuk (Galena) Seat – three-year term Fairbanks to participate in a work session to organize the Inter-Tribal Natural ✔ Yukon Flats (Fort Yukon) Seat – three-year term Resource Management Coalition. The purpose of the work session was to provide a Tribal forum to discuss issues relating to natural resource management and to collaborate Interior Athabascan Tribal College Board of Trustees: on strategies supporting the ongoing development of the Coalition. ✔ Yukon Koyukuk (Galena) Subregional Seat – three-year term The organizing effort came in response to: 1) a resolution from the 2002 ✔ Lower Yukon (Holy Cross) Subregional Seat – three-year term TCC Convention providing for the establishment of the Inter-Tribal Natural Resource Management Coalition that further called for the TCC Community & Natural Board of Directors Resources (CNR) Department to provide administrative and/or technical assis- ELECTIONS The mission of tance to support Tribes in developing the Inter-Tribal infrastructure and capacity, and 2) the An Election will take place at the TCC Board of Directors Natural Resources vision of an Inter-Tribal Natural Re- meeting on March 13, 2003 for the following: source Management Coalition articulated AFN Village Representative Management Coalition as a regional priority during the Novem- ✔ is to promote ber 2001 Tribal Natural Resource 1 seat – one-year term IRHA Board of Commissioners: 2 vacancies* Tribal management of Management Summit, sponsored by TCC through Ford and Hewlett Foundation ✔ Seat A – three-year term natural resources Natural Resource Management Planning ✔ Seat B – three-year term to enhance traditional and Capacity-building programs. (* IRHA Board of Commissioners cannot be TCC employees) and customary The CNR Department coordinated practices as taught the invitation of forty-two Interior Athabascan Tribes to participate in the Any individual who would like to by our Elders. 2002 Inter-Tribal Natural Resource declare themselves a candidate Management organizing meeting. Tribes for the above seats must submit were requested to formally appoint two a written, signed and dated letter of intent representatives: one Tribal Council Member and one Tribal Member or Natural Resource Management Professional to attend the work session. Thirty-seven member by 5:00 p.m. February 28, 2003 to Coalition, continued on page 9 Robin Renfroe, Chief Administrative Officer Tanana Chiefs Conference 122 First Avenue, Suite 600 Fairbanks, AK 99701 FAX # (907) 459-3884 Each member village will receive a faxed official list of candidates prior to the March 2003 TCC board of directors meeting. For informational purposes, we will list the IRHA and AFN candidates who take time to write a letter of intent as a candidate. If you have any questions, please contact Ethan Schutt, General Counsel, at 1-800-478-6822, extension 3177. DEADLINE 5:00 p.m., February 28, 2003 PAGE 2 • THE COUNCIL • JANUARY 2003 TANANA CHIEFS CONFERENCE Message from Letters to the Editor TCC President For a special friend Vernon Jones and be afraid of life, but to get out there Harold “Buddy” Brown and live it, and take chances and President I knew Vernon for about fifteen years prior to his death, he taught me challenge yourself to anything you have Happy New Year to the TCC member Tribes and their Tribal members! how to drive a race boat, and helped me an interest in. Once you’ve done that and The staff and I at TCC have enjoyed 2002 and are looking forward to a bright future in to learn the rivers. We were very good feel the satisfaction of life then you will 2003. We have many exciting things happening in our region this coming year. Recently, friends and done a lot of fun things realize how precious life is, and you will we began planning for the upcoming TCC Annual Convention in March 2003. We together. never want to stop living it! anticipate that this convention will be a success in communicating with our Tribes and Harold Attla Vernon was a unique person with allowing them to conduct the necessary business to give TCC guidance for our 2003 8/14/2002 unique abilities, an outstanding me- activities. We will keep you informed of our planning activities as we finalize the agenda chanic and the ability to MacGyver and activities for the upcoming convention. anything together. Vernon had a lot of I am writing in regards to an article Since I was elected TCC’s President and Chairman in March 2002 by our Tribes, friend’s guys and girls (or was it girls and in the Aug./Sept. 2002 Council about TCC’s management team and I have strived to improve the services we offer to our Tribes guys). He always had a big smile for you “Robert Charlie.” We are looking for any and Alaska Native people in our region. This is a quest I will continue throughout my when you went to visit him. He had a relatives, anyone who knew, or informa- three-year term in order to allow TCC to do its part in helping our Tribes provide the best passion for boat racing; he was very tion concerning “Susie Charlie (we do quality of life available to its villages and members. In order for our region to continue to professional and would pay attention to not have a middle name for her)” to meet the challenges and be successful in the 21st Century, I stressed to our Tribes the need detail. He sometimes would come up write us. We would appreciate any and for TCC to address the following issues: with cool new ideas of rigging something all information we could get. 1 Visioning and strategic planning up or someway to make the Koyukuk We are wondering if Robert Charlie Raiders # 74 go a little faster, or a bit could be her brother, cousin or relative 2 Development of unity and strength to tackle tough issues cooler. I admired him and would always to Susie Charlie. I do not have a birth 3 As Alaska Natives, we will set the agendas on our issues, rather than ask his advice on anything from racing certificate, but we figure she was born having them set for us props to moose hunting. Vernon was around 1912 or 1913 in Fairbanks or 4 Total community development in our villages smart when it came to traditional Native Susitna, Alaska. She grew up in Susitna; ways of hunting and fishing, he had so, it may have been there — that is what 5 TCC administrative efficiency and quality service delivery to the villages good teachers in his parents, Eliza and we heard. 6 High TCC employee morale and accountability Benedict. In 1929 (she might’ve been around 7 Bringing hope to our children by concentrating TCC’s efforts in our Vernon died by suicide. In my 16 years in age), she married Albert V. tribal communities. opinion this is a disease, and if you have Berg, who was German or Swede — had Since March 2002, we have begun successfully moving down this path and will it there is no cure for it, but only to heard both — and lived in Nenana, continue to do everything necessary to allow TCC to succeed on behalf of its member recognize it, and to be careful not to Alaska. Susie had four children: Pearl, Tribes and the Native people of our region. In May, we had the Regional Wellness trigger it, with drugs or alcohol. Albert Jr., Carol, and Merle, who they Conference to discuss wellness issues in our communities and plan on how to address After Vernon died I was talking to called Melvin. Around 1938 or 1939, them with the new Wellness funds. the late Morris Thompson about Vernon Susie got tuberculosis and died on Additionally, we had the Regional Vision- and the way he died, I distinctly remem- October 16 1941, at the hospital in ing Conference in September to begin “As we continue to ber him saying “Life is precious, yeah Valdez. We are looking to see if Susie has any brothers or sisters, who her setting a direction for the region’s future advance as a people, Life is precious.” Not everyone realizes and to give TCC guidance on what we how precious life is, and how easy it can parents were, their birth dates, and all should be pursuing on behalf of the we must remain be taken away.