The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008 - (Page 10)

Commitment to Community Keeping the Borders Open for All Kumeyaay The Real ID Act Impacts Indian Country Obtaining identification is not just a matter of concern for Indians in Mexico. Soon all Americans will be required to carry state identification cards, thanks to a 2005 federal law called the Real ID Act, created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This act imposes specific procedure standards for all state identification cards, including driver’s licenses. The new state ID cards will have to meet these new federal standards as created by the DHS in order for them to be accepted by the federal government. The cards were originally supposed to go into effect last May, but nearly 50 states applied for extensions. Because of these extensions, the Real ID Act will not go into effect until July 2009. According to federal regulations, the IDs will be used on a stateby-state basis. This means that all people living in California, for example, will be issued a California Real ID. Unfortunately, the federal government assumed that Native Americans would be registered under whatever state they live in. “We said no to that idea,” said Louie Guassac, executive director of the Kumeyaay Border Task Force. “We’re sovereign nations and we should recognize ourselves, not the states.” Tribal Councilman Alan L. Barrett agrees. “Tribal governments were left out by the federal government. We were put under the state. We don’t want to be under the state. We are a government. We are our own nation and we feel we should be equal to the federal government and that the DHS should deal with us at this level,” said Barrett. The Kumeyaay and other Native Americans want to create their own cards (the Kumeyaay’s cards will contain the logo of each band). “Our cards would meet all the standards required by the DHS. We would work together and monitor the cards at a computer station here at Viejas. The DHS could talk to the system directly, and our cards would contain the RFID chip and could be scanned and used just like the state cards.” The U.S. Government and Homeland Security have agreed that Native American Nations can issue their own cards as long as they meet all standard procedures. However, if they can’t afford to pay to do this, tribal members will have to register for their new IDs under the state. “The Real ID Act is going to affect all tribes throughout the U.S.,” said Barrett. “I will be speaking at the NCAI [National Congress of American Indians] about the importance of letting tribes control their own identification procedures.” Just like many state officials, tribes are worried about how to pay for the Real IDs. It’s estimated that the total cost for Indian Country to produce and monitor the new IDs could run as high as $20 million. Viejas has asked the National Congress of American Indians for some assistance. “For the Kumeyaay we can offset the cost internally, but we’re sponsoring a resolution to request that some money is put aside by the DHS to help Indian Country, to help tribes pay for their own cards,” said Guassac. “We’re federal entities, we’re not a non-profit,” he said. “With help we can get this done, quickly. Frankly, Indian people are in the best position to get their cards. The federal government already has our enrollment numbers. They have records of our tribal identifications, our families, and our original lands.” www.viejasbandofkumeyaay.org 10 in both Mexico and the United States. “But that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon,” said Guassac. Today, 12 remaining Kumeyaay bands live in southern California: Barona, Campo, Ewiiaapaayp, Inaja-Cosmit, Jamul, LaPosta, Manzanita, Mesa Grande, San Pasqual, Santa Ysabel, Sycuan and Viejas. In Baja Mexico, four bands, plus one settlement with members of the Kumeyaay-Pai Pai, the Santa Catarina, exist in mountain villages. They are the San Jose de la Zorra, San Antonio Necua, La Huerta, and the Juntas de Neji. Decades ago, before the United States and the Mexican governments cracked down on border crossing, the Kumeyaay traveled informally between their settlements. But these visits became more and more difficult over time. “You have to remember you were asking southern Indian tribes who had been trans-border for literally centuries to recognize a border. For the Indian people, those borders didn’t exist for their ancestors,” said Guassac. In the sixties, members of the Viejas and other bands tried to help ease growing border-crossing tensions. Identification cards were created and given to the Kumeyaay in Mexico to The Kumeyaay Way allow them to travel back and forth between the two countries. Unfortunately, explained Guassac, some of the cards fell into the hands of people who were not Kumeyaay. “When border officials realized that the cards were being misused by some people, it blew the program,” he said. But the Kumeyaay were not deterred in their desire to reunite with their people for visitations and cultural events.  Bringing Relatives Back A new effort began in 1990 when Baja Kumeyaay were invited to San Diego for a cultural event. Guassac and others traveled to the villages in Baja, Mexico, to organize and bring Mexican tribal members across the border. While this trip went off without a hitch, it raised discussions of how best to accommodate future border crossings for the Baja Kumeyaay. By 1998, more tribes were taking issue with the tightening border controls and the inability for tribal members in Mexico to visit their family members in the United States. Many transborder bands, like Tohono O’odham in Arizona, wanted their tribal members who resided in Mexico to be acknowledged as http://www.viejasbandofkumeyaay.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008

The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008 Contents Kumeyaay History Looking Back at the River of Tears Keeping the Borders Open for All Kumeyaay Tribal Security—Safety First Cultural Embrace Viejas Tribal Member Rescues Eagle Education for All Future in Their Hands Viejas Pow Wow Honors Native American Veterans Growing Traditions—Viejas Community Garden Remember When

The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008

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