A POSITION PAPER ON INDIAN MANPOWER POLICY STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The purposes of this paper are: To make recommendations to the United States Department of Labor leading to the development and implementation of a nationwide Indian manpower policy, which will make manpower programs more relevant and responsive to the needs of the American Indian and Alaska native population. To provide guidelines for the development and implementation To ensure maximum participation of Indian people in the research, development, administration, management, implementation, and evaluation of all manpower activities that affect American Indians and Alaska natives. To recommend that a permanent American Indian manpower services organization establish the program, procedures, cost determination, funding, and budget to implement the recommendations contained in this paper. OVERVIEW OF THE PAPER'S RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations in this paper can be summarized into two fundamental positions: Indians must be totally involved in all phases of planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of manpower programs which affect the training and employment of Indians. Greater resources must be devoted to alleviating Indian employment problems, especially in reservation areas. The Task Force realizes that there is nothing new in these two positions. Most of the recommendations made in this paper were made by the Office of Evaluation in a July, 1968, report: Evaluation Study of the Role of Manpower Programs in Assisting the American Indians. Very little, if anything, has been done to implement the recommendations of July, 1968. The same problems still exist. The Task Force acknowledges the right of Indians to seek employment and live in urban areas. However, it is in unanimous agreement that urban migration is not the answer to reservation employment problems. Existing manpower delivery systems have, in the opinion of the Task Force, been totally inadequate and unsatisfactory. The delivery systems recommended in this paper are in lieu of, not in addition to, existing delivery systems. Our insistence on special, specific, and separate manpower services for the American Indians is based on the special status Throughout this paper, the term "Indian" should be interpreted as meaning "American Indian and Alaska native." held by the Indian people under the laws of the United States of America and the individual states and the solemn treaties and assurances made by the Federal Government. We endorse the President's Indian Policy Recommendations of July 8, 1970. The recommendations contained in this paper are compatible with this Policy and involve direct funding to, and implementation of, manpower programs at the local level. The "local level" for Indians is not a state, city, or county government of the dominant culture, but rather, some form of tribal or Indian organization - be it on or off the reservation. PROBLEMS OF LIVING OFF THE RESERVATION In his message to the 91st Congress, transmitting recommendations for Indian policy, President Nixon devoted one section specifically to helping urban Indians. Referring to them as the most deprived and least understood segment of the urban poverty population, he stated, "The new census will probably show that a larger proportion of America's Indians are living off the reservation than ever before in our history." Indians in the urban areas usually constitute the smallest disadvantaged minority group in the local population. Contrary to popular misconception, the responsibility of the Burcau of Indian Affairs does not, gencrally, extend to Indians who have left their reservation. Yet, this misconception is often a factor in depriving indians in urban areas of the opportunity to benefit from programs designed for disadvantaged groups in the general population. Employability Problems Indians living in urban areas are faced with a series of harsh employability problems. While many of these problems are also experienced by other segments of the population, some are unique to the Indian. For most Indians, the language spoken in their reservation home is that of their tribe, and English is just a second language. When Indian people migrate from the reservation, they have difficulty with English conceptualizations, both verbal and written. Because of cultural and environmental differences, a majority of Indian people are not oriented to the world of work and the interpersonal "politics" of employment. Available visual aids and training tools are geared to middle-class Anglo standards or, at best, to Mexican-American or Black standards. The Department of Labor has made no effort to involve Indian people in the development and production of such aids. Indian people are ill-prepared to deal with the pressures and mechanics of day-to-day living in the cities (finding jobs, housing, recreational facilities, supportive services, etc.). Consequently, there is a natural reluctance to mingle with persons of a different culture and background. Not knowing about available recreational facilities or where other Indians may be located, and having recently arrived in a strange, lonesome environment, causes some Indian people to seek emotional reinforcement in alcohol. Thus, another problem alcohol is added to an already extensive list. Prominent among the problems of Indians living in urban areas is dicerimination. Due to a number of reasons, Indian people are discriminated against in all aspects of life in the city (housing, the legal and law enforcement systems, etc.); this is especially true when they attempt to enter the labor market. Indian people are more severely stereotyped than any other minority group c.g. "All Indians are lazy, drink too much, don't pay taxes, are unreliable, and receive money regularly from the Government." -- Presently, a majority of job classifications, specifications, minimum qualifications, testing, and counseling are geared to the dominant culture and consequently screen out minorities. Entrance into employment is especially difficult for Indians living in urban areas due to unrealistic educational training and experience requirements placed there by employers and unions alike. This is also reflected in present manpower training programs (MDTA, CEP, WIN, Job Corps, NAB-JOBS, etc.). |