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DICK DALY: By day's end, the Indian legislative conference had not succeeded in drafting much in the way of specific legislation, but a number of general problem areas were defined, most of them around the central theme of Indian difficulty in using his cultural background and value system in the white governmental structure. Many of the workshop sessions in things like education, economic development, criminal justice, health, and housing produced recommendations for special Indian components within existing state departments. Specifically, the meeting heard a call for laws which would allow traditional Indian medicine men to officiate at marriages and burials and to ensure that Indian children be adopted by Indian families.

There's been a controversy in Duluth recently about the disciplining of an Indian student by school authorities. And Clyde Atwood, an Indian on the St. Scholastica faculty, had comment.

CLYDE ATWOOD: As Indian people view the beating of children, one of the questions always comes up is, what do they learn by the beating? So far, for myself, I have yet to see anyone that has learned anything from a beating. And in the case of this young person who was held by an adult and beaten by another adult until he was badly bruised, so the group has recommended that consideration be given to legislation to repeal the right of any school authority, whether it be a teacher or administrator, to administer corporal punishment to any child for any reason. Now, there are other means for restraint without beating the hell out of a kid.

DICK DALY: Various spokesmen, including [? Joe ?] [? Badu, ?] a member of the Indian advisory board to the State Department of Alcoholism, were critical of the lack of attendance today by state legislators. Only five appeared. [? Badu ?] had a bill in mind to establish a Native American program on alcoholism and drug abuse, including $500,000 funding.

SPEAKER: We have a serious chemical dependency problem in Indian country, and we have $11 million coming into the state of Minnesota to curb this kind of problem. And yet all white-orientated programs are ineffective as far as Indian country is concerned. And I would like to see one of these legislators take this bill today and start hand-carrying it and start showing an interest and some concern for Indian concerns and Indian problems.

DICK DALY: State Senator Allan Spear of Minneapolis agreed that more of his colleagues should have attended today. He said they missed a valuable experience. Spear cautioned that not many bills requiring money will be acted on in the 1974 session. He suggested that a few priority nonmoney items be pushed in the session beginning next week while a larger list is prepared for 1975. Spear does think the time is ripe for action.

ALLAN SPEAR: I think that there's good reason for optimism. I think that the time really is right to get Indian legislation through the legislature. I think I noted in the last session that there is a feeling, I think-- I hope a growing number of legislators-- that we have neglected this area for far too long, that we've neglected the needs of Indian people for far too long. And I think-- and you'll excuse me if I sound a little bit cynical on this, but I think that there are also some legislators who perhaps are getting just a little bit scared.

I think that Wounded Knee has shaken people up a little bit. I think that there are those who finally realize that Indians aren't just going to sit back passively when their needs are not met. And so I think that there is a feeling for all kinds of motives that there ought to be action in this area.

DICK DALY: Senator Ralph Doty of Duluth wants to get Indians, as he put it, where the action is-- on state boards and commissions.

RALPH DOTY: You can scream and holler all you wish, but unless there are American Indians in positions of influence, I must tell you your results are going to be somewhat mixed. I have twice asked the governor of this state, who I consider a very good governor-- but I have twice asked the governor to appoint American Indians to the-- three times I've asked him, once to the board of regents, another time to the state college board, and now just a recent letter to have him appoint somebody to the junior college board. And we've been pretty well frustrated. I'm sure the decision as to who's going to be appointed is not totally the governor's.

I know he has a staff that must give him advice. But I find that extremely frustrating that we can't get American Indians on boards where there's real action, where the real decisions are being made. And until that happens, I am-- not pessimistic, but not at all optimistic that you can do a great deal.

DICK DALY: Doty also noted that only one Indian serves in the Minnesota legislature, and he called for political action to change that as part of the overall strategy Minnesota Indians began forming at this Duluth meeting today. This is Dick Daly.