NetNews

Khia Grinnell-Donahue '08, of Sequim, Washington, has participated in two recent events bringing together members of Native American tribes from throughout the nation.

Grinnell-Donahue, who came to St. Lawrence this year as a Presidential Diversity Scholar, is a member of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and took part in the dedication and other ceremonies held in conjuction with the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and the 61st Annual Convention of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

She was chosen by her tribe to participate in the Washington, D.C., events, which included marching in the Native Nations Procession through the National Mall, a pow-wow, First Nations Festival and special tours of the exhibitions. Active in the Tribal Council of Jamestown S'Klallam, Grinnell-Donahue says that the opportunity to participate in the week-long festival was "an amazing experience." Her travel and expenses were provided to her by the tribe.

The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe is located on the Olympic Peninsula; "S'Klallam" means "the strong people."

The NCAI was founded in 1944 and is the oldest and largest tribal government organization in the United States. NCAI serves as a forum for consensus-based policy development among its membership of over 250 tribal governments from every region of the country. NCAI's mission is to inform the public and the federal government on tribal self-government, treaty rights, and a broad range of federal policy issues affecting tribal governments.

Posted: October 15, 2004