Shoshone-Bannock tribe meets with president

A Shoshone-Bannock tribe leader is back in Fort Hall after meeting with the president last week at the sixth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference.

At the conference, leaders of more than 300 tribes called for the government to respect their sovereignty by following existing laws dealing with tribes.

“We have to respect each others sovereignty. The United States have it and we have it and we’re not gonna give it up,” said Devon Boyer, a member of the Fort Hall Business Council who traveled to last week’s conference.

Boyer pointed to the decades-old Indian Child Welfare Act as an example of tribal rights that are often infringed upon.

“What that ensures is that our children are no longer taken away from our reservations,” said Boyer.

Last week U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder vowed to make sure states follow the Indian Child Welfare Act.

“We were reassured that all states have to follow it including the state of idaho,” said Boyer.