Code Talkers Address Symposium in Oklahoma City A report from the Sovereignty Symposium XV, Oklahoma City, OK, June 10 - 12, 2002 by Faye Hadley, Native American Resources/Instructional Services Law Librarian
The title of this year’s Sovereignty Symposium was “Language and the Law (War of Words),” but the theme seemed to be more focused on the Code Talkers (both Navajo and Comanche) as they were depicted in the Symposium’s Poster and postcard and on the back of T-shirts and sweaters. Charles Chibitty, the last surviving Comanche Code Talker, gave the keynote address at the closing luncheon. Dr. Sam Billison, one of the original Navajo Code Talkers (and the voice of the GI Joe Navajo Code Talker Action Figure), also shared some of his experiences serving with the Marines on Iwo Jima.
The Honorable Patrick Moore (an L.LM. Student in TU’s Native American Law Program) organized and moderated a very well-received panel on the topic of “Jurisdiction - State - Tribal - Federal Courts - Ethics” a panel presentation that was scheduled to last all day. The first afternoon it was a difficult choice between continuing with the morning panel on jurisdiction or attending an afternoon panel entitled “Threats to Tribal Sovereignty and Delegation of Authority within Environmental Law.” I chose to attend the latter, which proved to be an excellent choice, as I was able to hear Professor Judith Royster, Professor Tai Helton (TU College of Law Alum, now on the Faculty at OU School of Law) and Jason Aamodt, Esq. all very knowledgeable speakers on the topic of the confluence of environmental law and tribal governments. That night we all enjoyed a reception that was hosted in part by the TU College of Law along with the Indian Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association and OU School of Law.
The next morning I attended the panel entitled “International Issues Affecting Indigenous Peoples” (Please see the addition to the Native American Law Web Sites Page that now features a section, “International Indigenous Peoples” @ http://www.utulsa.edu/law/library/natam.html). I had the pleasure of hearing Valerie Phillips, who is joining the TU College of Law Faculty in the fall, speak about recent developments in sustainable economics among indigenous people around the world, followed by an informative talk presented by Bill Rice who educated the audience on the true meaning of “self-determination.” That afternoon I attended the very informative panel organized by OU Law Library Director, Nickie Singleton, and OU American Indian Subject Specialist, Marilyn Nicely, the topic of which was “Information Technology in Indian Country.” The next morning I attended an excellent panel that addressed the topic of “Gaming in Indian Country.” Notable among the speakers on this panel were Montie Deer, Elizabeth Homer, Ernie Stevens and Christopher Karns.
As I mentioned earlier in this report, the closing luncheon ended with a keynote address by Charles Chibitty, a true American hero. It was a fitting conclusion to a meeting that brought together the best minds in Indian Country to discuss issues that will impact Indian Nations for generations to come.