Speakers at Monday’s Native-led convention on the Gila River Reservation in Arizona pegged the Department of Interior as an inadequate governmental arena for the representation of Native tribes and nations. Fed up with the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ lack of consultation and ongoing reorganization, they called for the disbandment of the Bureau so that Native leaders can establish direct communication with Congress and the White House. The summit took place one day before the start of the National Congress of American Indians’ annual weeklong convention, also at Gila River.
