The ninth annual State of the Tribes Address will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in the Wisconsin State Assembly at the Capitol Building in Madison. Gordon Thayer, Chairman, of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, will be delivering the speech.The events for the day include a Native American drum and honor song on the east wing steps of the Capitol, beginning at 12:15 p.m., followed by a Veterans Color Guard. The invocation before the speech will be given by Dennis White, K-12 Administrator of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School. Students Joshua Martin, Ryan Bunker, Jr., Nicolette Trepania, and Heather Martinson will lead those present in the Pledge of Allegiance, speaking in both English and their native Ojibwe.
The State of the Tribes Address will be presented to the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate in joint session. The event has become a regular feature of the spring legislative sessions, offering an opportunity for the eleven federally recognized Native American tribes and the Wisconsin Legislature to refresh their relationship and explore areas of mutual governmental interest. Along with the address highlighting the current and developing state of the tribal governments and the reservation communities, the event provides an opportunity for discussions between tribal governing bodies and members of the legislature about legislative priorities. Thayer sees this as an important linkage between governments.
“The tribes and the State of Wisconsin enjoy an unusually cooperative relationship in a lot of areas, and while we all may not agree on everything, I believe there is always great value in maintaining open and frank dialog between all branches of government,” he said.
The Assembly Speaker concurs: “This is an excellent opportunity for our governments to come together to better understand the needs and the challenges that we face,” said Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester).
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