WASHINGTON, D.C. – Red Lake Tribal

Chairman Darrell G. Seki, Sr., and Treasurer Annette Johson, along

with others met with members of the Minnesota Congressional

delegation on Jan. 28 in Washington, D.C. to discuss a number of

issues of concern to the Red Lake Band.

According to a tribal spokesperson,

Seki and Johnson met with Minnesota’s Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al

Franken. Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Moorhead, and Rick Nolan, D-Duluth.

Red Lake’s lack of criminal

jurisdiction over non-band members was the primary focus of the

visits with the Congressional delegates. Tribal officials said they

would like to have jurisdiction to prosecute non-members who bring

drugs onto the Red Lake Reservation.

“All Congressmen were shocked to

hear of our troubles with drug dealers and were very responsive to

the Band’s issues that were raised,” tribal spokespersons said.

"Sen. Amy Klobuchar even suggested that a tribal summit – to

include all of Minnesota’s eleven tribes – would be in order, to

discuss this and other topics of mutual concern to Indian Nations."

Seki and Johnson also met with the

Bureau of Indian Affairs Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn

(Chickasaw) about the BIA’s push to move funding from "one time

funding" to a grant-based approach, a move that the Red Lake

Band strongly opposes.

Other issues addressed by the Red Lake

delegation included Red Lake’s concern regarding insufficient funding

for tribal roads, specifically the calculation formulas used by the

federal government which allow tribes with smaller land bases to

receive equal or even more funding. The Enbridge Pipeline was also

discussed.

PHOTO: Red Lake Chairman Darrell

Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (Photo by Michael Meuers)