Show jj Attorney for Ute Indian tribe speaks sneaks at MA M.A. Hoffman Contributing Writer ITS IT'S important to get your education its it's important for you to go back to your tribes tribes said Gary Montana attorney for the Ute Tribe Montana was one of the speakers at the Indian Club sponsored Awareness I Days Days I Montana told students to get their education and for forthe forthe forthe the Native Americans to return to help their people Theres all kinds of things you can do to study help to tobe tobe o obe be doctors and lawyers and come back to your tribes Montana said He went on to discuss the water rights' rights issue right here herein in Utah With this issue the Ute Tribe had decided to negotiate with the st state te of Utah instead of taking it to court A bill bil has already gone before the legislature but must pass through the House of Representatives again They are going to try this in January This would hopefully give them that legal right they need We felt working with the state of Utah was to our advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage said Montana Sometimes you have to goto goto go goto to court but its it's always a balancing act you must go through Montana was also involved involved involved in in- in working to allow sweat lodges into the Utah state prisons r sons Th These se would 1 allow the Native Americans that are in prison th the use of sweat lodges Utah was the only state in the 50 SO who did not have them Sweat l lodges used are by bythe bythe bythe the Native Americans as a I rehabilitative source for their lives He said that if they have have I something I of their people to carry with them they wont won't go back to drink drink- ing There are now two at the Point of he Mountain Other responsibilities Montana feels he has are the goals to to T I. I help the Ute Tribe become sufficient self and self seIf He ie really believes believes believes' any tribe tribe could could do this if their children come comeback comeback comeback back and support the people More tribes should have in house e attorneys working for them i said Montana He felt that some non-Indian non attorneys attorneys attorneys at at- just didn't care They put more emphasis on the external affairs and didn't see seethe seethe seethe the internal ones Its hard for an Indian attorney attorney attorney at at- torney Montana said He must deal with the federal government as well as the Supreme Court But he believes that dedicated inhouse inhouse inhouse in- in house people are interested in the protection of the rights fights of the Native American In In- Recen Recently there was a Treaty Signing Ceremony and some 20 tribes gathered together to help protect one another The treaty is to tomake tomake tomake make an agreement th that t if one of the tribes is picked on onor onor onor or becomes the target of any national or state action then all the tribes will stand together to help each other They are trying to get more tribes to join them They are also trying to get some of their treaties updated ted or or changed At the end Montana was asked some qu questions one one being how he felt about the way Native American crimes were taken care of When a I. I t M kY q J F Y Lr Gary Montana attorney for the Ute Tribe told students to get their education and for the Native Americans to return to help their people crime happens to a minority the authorities are not as quick or efficient in their work finding out how or why something happened Montana Montana Montana Mon Mon- tana saidI said I dont don't know what to do about it I get so discouraged about what to do said Mon Mon- tana He even gets to the point that he wont won't talk to the media They dont don't al al- al W 1 ways give the full story or tell his point the way he said it Montana concluded on a lighter note I challenge you to go out and get your education education education tion be competitive and get getgood getgood getgood good grades Montana let everyone who was there know these things were im im- im- im I |