ALASKA NATIVES COMMISSION
JOINT FEDERAL-STATE COMMISSION
ON
POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING
ALASKA NATIVES
4000 Old Seward Highway, Suite 100
Anchorage,
Alaska 99503
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Witness List | PDF
Version
COMMISSIONER PAGANO: The next one is Stanton Katchatag?
(Pause.)
MR. KATCHATAG: I appreciate this time. The
only thing that I'd like to remind you is that the issues locally
and the issues statewide, I think, should be taken care of
on that basis. Since you are limiting time, I feel like being
denied in talking about just one special area. I don't have
anything in general. I've already spoken in Nome; but I'd like
to touch on the categories that this body has been created
for; and to do this, I think, just for your information, briefly
I’d like to give you a little background, which I hardly ever
do.
I'm the Chairman of Kawarak Board, which is the non-profit arm of Bering Straits Native Corporation within that region, and it's comprised of 20 villages -- or 20 communities. I also serve in the Norton Sound Tel -- Corporation Board on the health issues. I'm also a member of Eskimo Walrus Commission; and that deals with a lot of marine mammals and subsistence issues. And, as far as tribal issues are concerned, I'm also in the committee of the formation of Inter-Tribal Alaska Councils, which is a statewide tribal organization that we need so badly here in Alaska. And under education, I serve also in RURALCAP, which deals a lot with Head Start programs, who are throughout the state. And I also have served in the IRA for the last five consecutive years as president; then prior to that, I have served on and off for quite a number of years.
And my big concern is dealing with this after-born governments and trying to evaluation our government as tribal governments and finding it difficult to understand why the grandfather governments, which are the IRA and Native tribal governments, are being undermined by so many of these after-born governments. These are my concerns, and I have prepared, and I'll try to just read it quite fast if I may.
Mr. Chairman, members of Alaska Natives Commission, special guests, spectators, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Stan Katchatag, as I stated before, of Unalakleet, Alaska, chairman of Kawarak Board of Directors in my region. I have the honor to appear before you once again to welcome you to join us as identified Native leaders, federal, state, and all agencies to deal with the problems that seem to become even more destructive and widespread. In spite of the fact that experts, professors, politicians, and bureaucrats point to the technology of this day and seem to say:
"Wait a minute, old mother, grandpa, or feeble
old man, we can put your problems in this gadget; and this machine will tell
us how we can solve your problem and find solution."
Does it work that way? I doubt very much it will work. It might seem like it would, because health, education, economics, governance, social, or cultural, you name, it, remember this matter can be fed into the computer, and you will read the feedback of this machine. That don't happen. It's not happening.
The problem in health does not seem so much aware of modern technology today. Health issues are not just diagnoses of disease, or prescriptions for that matter. There are other matters involved increasingly, such as lawsuits in connection with health, and they are all health related. Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and many other regulated problems and issues, not to mention modern eye care, hearing, cancer, TB, AIDS, and other epidemics that we see today.
Education has more than its share of daily problems. Here also the education seem to weigh even more of where and how they could gain benefits to themselves. I'm talking about the professors and teachers. Or popularity. From all sides of the population, whether the area be small or large, in some cases, the matter of this most important issue become just another steppingstone to reach under the step, under the ladder of one's own ego or self-value. This, to me, is misuse in preparation for the only resources to take care of our problems of tomorrow. Our children are our future. If we must survive, they must be prepared to meet the challenge of tomorrow.
Economics have effects in all directions, wherever people must meet: their everyday needs. Whether it be at home, community, region, state, or the nation, I strongly believe the weakness of the issue has reached out in political arena this election year. But the bottom line hangs dear on who is going to change the course that this issue is hanging on, and structure the management where it will have positive, effective, rather than negative effects. In short who is capable to oversee the overhaul, from the White House to each level of the ladder of livelihood, from teenage pregnancy to the final resting cushion of the pioneers.
Governance is something that we're not in lack of today. What is lacking is working relationship. Neither are we lacking laws and regulations; we are lacking commitment to enforce the laws to the point of honest approach to prevention of repeated crime. This, to me, is only penalty beyond all reasonable doubt. Our government was meant to govern the people of law-abiding citizens; but was also obligated to punish, but not penalize the criminals in all walks of life, without classification or classified mercy.
Finally, social and cultural matters can best be dealt with in local level. The system today make this wide open for fake and dishonesty. For example, on social side, who benefits? Where is social assistance going? Who are the bingo-holics, food stamp recipients, (indiscernible), we can go on and on. On the other hand, cultural handicraft can produce and be manufactured anywhere in the world.
In closing, I want to welcome you to join us as Native leaders in our state. And I thank you very much. I'm not looking for questions. This is jus -- these are the points that I'd like to give to you. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER PAGANO: Did anyone have any comments? Thank you.
CO-CHAIR FATE: I'd like to make a comment. I want to thank you so very kindly for what you have provided us with today, because it seems like it's the basis to a lot of what we're -- why we're here -- a lot of our problems; and you said some solutions in order that we're going to look at very clearly; and if we have any further questions, we could write to you.
MR. KATCHATAG: Thank you very much.
CO-CHAIR FATE: Thank you, Mr. Katchatag.
MR. KATCHATAG: Before I go down, I wanted to pass you my card. (Indiscernible -- speaking away from microphone.)
COMMISSIONER BOYKO: Thank you, sir.
COMMISSIONER ELLIOTT: I remember you from Nome.
MR. KATCHATAG: Yes, you -- thank you. And I thank you all.
This document was ocr scanned. We have made every
attempt to keep the online document the same as the original,
including the recorder's original misspellings or typos.
