“Nothing Happens Until People Start Talking”

New Faces in Indian Country:
A Report from Tribal Leaders

Thursday, June 8, 2006
11:45 am – 1:15 pm, The Grove Hotel, Boise

Speakers:

Chief J. Allan Coeur d’Alene Tribe Council Chair	Rebecca Miles Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee Chair

In the 200 years since Lewis and Clark first encountered the indigenous people later dubbed Nez Perce, members of Idaho’s five tribes—the Kootenai, Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce, Shoshone Paiute and Shoshone Bannock—lost much of their culture and access to traditional tribal lands. Today a new generation of dynamic tribal leaders is working to strengthen the tribes and restore their cultures. Much remains to do, but there are some remarkable successes.

On June 8, tribal leaders will discuss a range of issues, including inter-tribal and tribal-government relations, environmental protection and improving local economies.

Chief J. Allan, born in Spokane in 1972, grew up on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. After graduating from Eastern Washington University, he worked for the American Congress of Indians, Washington, D.C., and later served his tribe in many roles. Allan was elected chairman in 2005 and re-elected in 2006.

Rebecca Miles, reared on the Nez Perce Reservation, graduated from Washington State University in 1997 with a degree in criminal justice. In 2005, at age 32, she was the first woman elected chair of her tribe’s Executive Committee.

An invitation has been extended to the Shoshone Bannock Tribe to participate in this forum; their participation is unconfirmed.

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