Indians Meet

American Indian students and several specialists in Indian affairs discussed the future of tribal self-sufficiency last weekend at a two-day conference on Indian economic development.

The conference focused on the economic plight of reservations, which are suffering from high unemployment and cuts in federal support.

Close to 40 people attended the forum which was organized American Indians at Harvard (AIH) and funded by the Undergraduate Council and the Harvard Foundation.

Panelists debated whether tribes should proceed with industrial development or work to increase activity in more traditional sectors such as fishing and hunting.

"There's as assumption that if the native people simply plug into American capitalism they'll be fine-American capitalism isn't fine." Allen Frazier, a member of the Round Valley Indian Reservation in California said Saturday. "We have to work in conjunction with our culture and heritage to maximize our chances for success."

But other speakers urged Western style industrial development for the reservations. "It's more important to preserve cultural identity than any particular style of life," said. Donald Feist, a U S Dept. of Housing and Urban Development official. A tribe that resists change risks becoming a museum piece," he added.

Several panel members said economic development on reservations has been jeopardized recently by the Reagan Administration's opposition to government subsidies for some new Indian enterprises. While Congress has continued to fund programs that aid Indians, some specific allocations for tribes have been eliminated, forcing them to compete with all groups for limited funds.

The conference also addressed the conflict between developing energy resources and preserving the land on reservations.

Joseph A. Russ '83, AIH president, said Saturday he was pleased with the conference although he had expected a bigger turnout.

S. Allen Counter, director of the Foundation, said Sunday that he would like to see more students from all backgrounds at such forums. "It's very disturbing when we don't see you whites of other backgrounds taking an interest in Indian affairs."