Hope grows for Native communities as record number win House seats
| Flagstaff, Ariz.
Internet access, health care, and basic necessities like running water and electricity within Indigenous communities have long been at the center of congressional debates. But until recently, Congress didn鈥檛 have many Indigenous members who were pushing for solutions and funding for those issues.
Hope is growing after the Native delegation in the United States House of Representatives expanded by two on Election Day: Yvette Herrell, who is Cherokee and prevailed in New Mexico鈥檚 2nd Congressional District, and Kai Kahele, a Native Hawaiian who won that state鈥檚 2nd District.
They will join four Native Americans who won reelection: Reps. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, who鈥檚 Laguna; Sharice Davids of Kansas, who鈥檚 Ho-Chunk; Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who鈥檚 Cherokee; and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who鈥檚 Chickasaw.
Of the six who prevailed, half are Democrats and half Republican 鈥� a divide Mr. Cole said would 鈥渁bsolutely be indispensable in passing anything the next two years.鈥� The winners were among a dozen Indigenous major-party candidates running in top-of-the-ticket races.
鈥淚 always consider tribal affairs to be non-partisan,鈥� Mr. Cole said Monday. 鈥淭he tribal sovereignty and trust responsibility are not partisan issues. You either believe in those or you don鈥檛.鈥�
Representation means progress, scholars say, particularly for Indigenous children who will see their language and culture on display in Congress. It鈥檚 fueled by efforts to recruit Indigenous candidates and back them financially, get-out-the-vote efforts, and Native communities flexing their political muscle. About 100 Indigenous candidates were on general election ballots across the country, most seeking seats in state legislatures.
鈥淚t鈥檚 seeing people that look like us in Congress that is inspiring women, more than anything, to run,鈥� said Traci Morris, executive director of the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University, who鈥檚 Chickasaw. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I see 鈥� I see we all think we can do it now. And there was huge involvement.鈥�
Still, Indigenous people remain underrepresented in Congress. The U.S. Senate has not had a Native American member since Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado retired in 2005. He has Northern Cheyenne heritage. Democrat Paulette Jordan, who is Coeur d鈥橝lene, lost to the incumbent for a U.S. Senate seat in Idaho this year.
But the House victories won鈥檛 necessarily translate to immediate power in Washington. Mr. Kahele said he imagines he鈥檒l spend time learning about Indigenous issues outside of his native Hawaii and educating other Native and non-Natives in Congress.
And while it鈥檚 not easy to ignore Indigenous lawmakers if they鈥檙e sitting across the table, they often can be pigeonholed, said Richard Monette, who teaches federal Indian law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
鈥淚 think that, in the end, the scale tips toward being more good than bad,鈥� said Mr. Monette, a former chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 fair to say, but I will say this is complex.鈥�
Ms. Herrell, for example, said she鈥檚 proud of her heritage but didn鈥檛 tout it in her bid to unseat Democrat Xochitl Torres Small in a complicated district that includes minority communities along the U.S.-Mexico border, tribes, ranchers, farmers, and oil and gas industry workers.
鈥淚 really prefer to call myself an American,鈥� she told The Associated Press. 鈥淚鈥檓 a New Mexican, and it鈥檚 not about labels, it鈥檚 not about race. It鈥檚 about people and representing all of our values, all of our shared likes and even dislikes and coming together.鈥�
The House formed the bipartisan Congressional Native American Caucus in 1997 that has dozens of non-Indigenous members and is now led by Mr. Cole and Ms. Haaland. Most notably, it worked to pass two bills to help address the epidemic of missing and slain Native American women. But the leadership team, which also includes Ms. Davids and Mr. Mullin, doesn鈥檛 always agree.
鈥淲e all make decisions based on two things: our life experiences and the way we were raised,鈥� Mr. Mullin said in a statement to the AP. 鈥淲ith more Native Americans in Congress, we can make a bigger impact and better educate our colleagues about Native issues.鈥�
Ms. Haaland and Mr. Cole said the focus in the upcoming session will be COVID-19鈥檚 impact on Native communities, chronic shortfalls in federal funding for tribes, broadband internet access, further addressing missing and slain Indigenous women, and land put into trust for tribes.
Mr. Kahele, who became the second Native Hawaiian elected to Congress since statehood, has said he will champion Indigenous voices and push for things like housing assistance, the protection of natural resources, and for the federal government to right the wrongs committed against Indigenous Hawaiians.
Hawaii was an independent kingdom until 1893, when American businessmen backed by U.S. Marines overthrew Queen Liliuokalani. The U.S. annexed Hawaii five years later, making it a territory. It gained statehood in 1959.
While the U.S. apologized in 1993, Mr. Kahele said 鈥渢hat was the first step in what needs to be a process of healing and reparations.鈥�
Native Hawaiians are not among the more than 570 federally recognized Native American tribes, though they鈥檝e sought the designation. They share common struggles in land loss, health care, and lack of economic prosperity, and have access to some of the same federal funding and preference for bidding on federal contracts as tribes.
Mr. Kahele said he鈥檚 already reached out to his Native colleagues in the House.
鈥淚f we work together, we can achieve so much more,鈥� Mr. Kahele said. 鈥淎nd there are a lot out there who want us to fight, to compete against each other for the same federal resources.鈥�
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
