ANNUAL REPORT, 2000-2001

 

2000-2001 Officers

 

President – Heather Whiteman Runs Him

Vice President – Natalie Landreth

Treasurer – Gavin Clarkson

 

Harvard NALSA Activities

 

Speakers

 

            Terry Proust, Commissioner, National Indian Gaming Commission presented a speech on “The Truth About Indian Gaming” in September.  Ms. Proust talked about her role as a commissioner in a federal regulatory agency in relation to tribal governments.  She also distributed information on the income of gaming tribes and talked about common misperceptions about the wealth of Indian tribes with gaming operations and the situation of those that have not entered the gaming industry.

           

            Jamae Kawauchi, gave a speech in October entitled “Rice v. Cayetano:  Unravelling the Narrative.”  In her speech, Ms Kawauchi discussed a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in which an all-Native Hawaiian voting scheme for a state-run office administrating Native Hawaiian assets was held unconstitutional.  She presented research in which she examined the historical analysis written in the majority opinion and the significant language that diluted the claims of Native Hawaiians and obfuscated the role of violence and the United States Military in Hawaiian conquest.  After Ms. Kawauchi’s presentation, she moderated an open dialogue with the audience on Native Hawaiian rights after the Rice decision and the proposed Native Hawaiian legislation before the U.S. Congress.

 

            Doug Endreson, a partner at Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, was NALSA’s guest at a brownbag luncheon in November.  Mr. Endreson spoke briefly about his career in a firm that represents tribal governments in a variety of fora.  He also discussed recent developments in the field of Indian law in the federal courts, about potential circuit splits, and the five cases granted certiorari by the U.S. Supreme Court in the current term.

 

            Keith Harper, Esquire, of the Native American Rights Fund, gave a speech in January entitled “Broken Trust:  Shifting the Paradigm of the Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibility” in which he discussed the federal trust responsibility to Indian tribes and his work in changing the common perception about the nature of the federal government’s duty to Indian tribes in managing their assets.

 

 

 

Member Activities

 

Heather Whiteman Runs Him has served on the National Native American Law Students Association (NNALSA) Executive Board as Secretary from April 2000 through April 2001.  She attended meetings of the Executive Board throughout the year.  In September, the board met at Schemitzun in Ledyard, Connecticut, on the Meshantucket Pequot Reservation.  In January, the Board met in Tempe, Arizona, at Arizona State University Law School and on the Gila River Indian Community Reservation between Phoenix and Tuscon.  In addition to those meetings, the Board also held ten conference calls throughout the year to coordinate NNALSA activities. 

 

Throughout the year, Gavin Clarkson has worked with the Wampanoag Nation of Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard, helping them with the development of their tribal court system and the implementation of their justice department.

 

In October, NALSA members held bake sales in the Harkness Cafeteria to raise money for a reception for invited speaker Keith Harper in January.  The remainder was put toward expenses incurred by the members of Harvard NALSA in attending the NNALSA Moot Court Competition and the Federal Indian Bar Conference. 

 

 In October, Natalie Landreth traveled to Los Angeles, CA, where she joined Dean of Admissions Joyce Curll at a Law School Forum and talked to prospective law students about HLS.

 

In November, Heather Whiteman Runs Him attended the American Indian Science and Engineering Society’s Annual Conference in Portland Oregon.  She represented HLS along with the Harvard University Native American Program and representatives from Harvard College and other Harvard schools in recruitment efforts.  From Portland, Heather traveled to Oakland, CA, where she joined Dean Curll at a Law School Forum and talked to prospective law students about HLS.

 

On March 1, Natalie Landreth and Heather Whiteman Runs Him traveled to the 9th Annual NNALSA Moot Court Competition in Portland OR.  While they did not place in the overall competition, they won third place in the Best Brief Category.

 

In March, Harvard NALSA hosted a potluck dinner for the Native American community throughout the University.  Traditional Native American cuisine from several different tribes was served.  Students from Harvard College, the Graduate School of Education, the Kennedy School of Government, the School of Public Health, and the staff of the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) attended the potluck.  We also hosted students from Dartmouth College, Yale College, and Brown University at the potluck. 

 

In April, NALSA members Gavin Clarkson, Heather Thompson, Virginia Davis, and Natalie Landreth attended the Federal Indian Bar Association Conference in Albuquerque, NM.  NALSA sponsored Virginia Davis’s and Gavin Clarkson’s travel to and/or registration for the conference.  Other members paid their own expenses in attending the conference or secured sponsorships from law firms. 

 

In April, Heather Whiteman Runs Him attended the NNALSA Annual Meeting which was held in conjunction with the Federal Indian Bar Association Conference in Albuquerque.  At the meeting, Heather Whiteman Runs Him was elected NNALSA Vice President by the General and Associate Members of NNALSA.