Four candidates, who are seeking the office of president of the National Congress of American Indians, participated in a presidential debate late Wednesday afternoon.
Photographs by Levi Rickert
Published October 24, 2019
ALBUQUERQUE — Some 1,500 tribal leaders are in Albuquerque this week for the National Congress of American Indians’ (NCAI) 76th Annual Convention and Marketplace. NCAI is the oldest and largest national American Indian organization.
On Thursday morning, the convention delegates will hold its election for the office of president, vice president and secretary. The winners of Thursday’s election will serve two-year terms.
.Jefferson Keel (Chickasaw), the current president of the NCAI, is not se;eking reelection.
Some four candidates are vying for the organization’s top post. The four candidates for NCAI president are Shaun Chapoose, a tribal councilor of the Ute Tribe; Harold Fraizer, chairman, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Marshall Pierite, chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana; and Fawn Sharp, president, Quinault Nation; and Jefferson Keel, All four made their pitches to the general assembly on Wednesday morning and participated in a presidential debate late Wednesday afternoon.
Shaun Chapoose
Shaun Chapoose, a formal tribal chairman, currently serves as chairman of Utah Tribal Leaders, which comprises leadership from Utah’s eight federally recognized tribes. He also is the Uncompahgre Band representative for the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee, and the co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
“It is time to change the direction of NCAI,” said Chapoose on Wednesday before the general assembly. “Leaders need to be in the forefront, Leadership is about lifting people up.”
Harold Fraizer
Harold Fraizer is chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. He received his AAS in Ag Business from Eastern Wyoming College in 1989. Fraizer worked for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe until 1998 when he was elected as District 4 Cheyenne River. After one term as council member, he was elected as the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal chairman. During his first chairmanship, he was elected as the Great Plains Area Vice-President of NCAI.
Mashall Pierite
Marshall Pierite is chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. Pierite’s campaign is centered on values of trust, love, and respect for one another in an effort to create a more inclusive, accountable and effective NCAI.
“It is time to build on the success of Indian Country. We can do this with these three things: trust, respect and love,” says Pierite, sounding almost like a preacher. “Today, our country is at a crossroad and we need strong leadership.”
Fawn Sharp
Fawn Sharp is the current president of the Quinault Indian Nation in Taholah, Washington. Her past positions included managing attorney and lead counsel; and staff attorney for the Quinault Indian Nation, administrative law judge for the Washington state Department of Revenue – Tax Appeals Division, Quinault Tribal Court Associate Judge, and Counsel for Phillips, Krause & Brown.
On Wednesday evening, Sharp participated in a NCAI presidential debate. She asked for the votes of the convention delegates, saying she wants to be elected to be the Indigenous President of the United States of America.
Four candidates are seeking the office of first vice president of the NCAI. They are: Joe Bird (Cherokee); Lance Gumps; Julian Poor Runner (Oglala Sioux Tribe) and Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe), current NCAI first vice president.
There are two candidates for recording secretary of NCAI. They are current recording Juana Majul-Dixon (Pauma Band of Mission Indians) and Quintin Lopez (Tohono O’odham Nation.
Being the only candidate nominated for treasurer, Clinton Lageson. (Kenaitze Indian Tribe) was elected to the post by unanimous consent.
The post National Congress of American Indians to Elect New Leader at Annual Convention being Held in Albuquerque appeared first on Native News Online.
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