The tribes of Montana and Wyoming walked out of a Department of Interior briefing on Friday, meant to inform the tribes of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ proposed reorganization. In a Formal Tribal Consensus Statement addressed to Secretary Gale Norton and read aloud before the walkout, the tribes cited lack of consultation and failure to be taken seriously as sovereign entities as grounds for opposition. The document also calls for a National Convention of Sovereign Tribes and President Bush to discuss future government-to-government relations. The briefing was the last of twelve sessions held throughout the country to inform tribes of the proposed changes.
