Obama nominates BYU law professor to lead Indian Affairs
President Barack Obama announced Friday that he intends to nominate Brigham Young University law professor Larry EchoHawk to lead the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, ending months of speculation that EchoHawk might not be selected because some tribes worried he may oppose tribal casinos.
EchoHawk, 60, a Pawnee, was the first Native American to be elected to a statewide office when he served as Idaho's attorney general from 1991 to 1995 after previously serving as a state legislator. He was the Democratic nominee in the 1994 Idaho gubernatorial race, but he lost the election. The former BYU football player has taught since then at BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said of the nomination, "Larry EchoHawk has the right leadership abilities, legislative experience and legal expertise to bring about the transformative improvements we all seek for Indian Country. He is a dedicated public servant and an excellent choice."
BYU President Cecil Samuelson also congratulated EchoHawk, calling him a "superb choice" who was well-respected by his peers.
"At BYU, he is greatly admired by his colleagues and students for his leadership, his practical wisdom, his legal expertise and, perhaps most importantly, his willingness to tackle and work toward solving difficult issues," Samuelson said in a prepared statement.
Speculation about EchoHawk's expected nomination has been controversial among some tribes. Several loudly voiced concern that when he was Idaho's attorney general, he tried to block tribes there from gaining permission to operate casinos (which they would eventually do anyway) — and wondered if he might do the same in federal office.
Others contended he simply did his job to advise state officials who felt Idahoans had passed a constitutional amendment to allow a lottery with a promise it would not allow other gambling forms. When federal officials said the amendment's loose wording should allow tribal casinos, EchoHawk's office suggested a special legislative session to tighten it.
Various tribal newspapers reported in recent months that EchoHawk had talked with tribes to calm fears. And Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, had urged leaders of tribes at a conference in California to support EchoHawk for his "long and honorable record of public service."
EchoHawk declined comment until confirmation by the Senate — which is routine for nominees.
A law journal article he wrote in 2001 may show his view of the historical result of federal relations with Indian tribes.
"Over the past seven generations, Native Americans have been severely impacted by federal laws and policies that have reduced tribal sovereign powers, taken away valuable tribal lands and natural resources, inhibited the exercise of Native American religious practices and forced changes in traditional tribal ways of life."
He added, "Because of these laws' devastating impact, Native Americans as a group have become the poorest of the poor in America."
EchoHawk gave a speech to BYU students in 2007 that told much of his personal history and how he overcame poverty where he was raised in Farmington, N.M., to attend college and become a lawyer.
"For me, life began to change at the age of 14, when two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints … came into my home," he told BYU students. He said he was baptized without a true testimony at the time, but "my father quit drinking, and family life was much better."
He said a church leader of youths, Richard Boren, later took a special interest in him and told him, "You can do anything you want." At that point, EchoHawk enjoyed football but said he was not a good player — although he was inspired to work hard and improve. He became his high school's football-team quarterback and captain.
Before the start of his senior season, an injury to his eye threatened blindness. He said that for the first time, he prayed intently about whether the church is true, and pleaded for his sight. When the bandages came off, he could not see in his eye — but the sight returned over a few days. And he soon became the star of his football team.
Amid that, he started reading the Book of Mormon intently. "It seemed to me that the Book of Mormon was about my Pawnee Indian ancestors. The Book of Mormon talks about the Lamanites, a people who would be scattered, smitten and nearly destroyed. But in the end, they would be blessed if they followed the Savior. That is exactly what I saw in my own family's history."
He later accepted a football scholarship to BYU, and played every game as a defensive safety from 1967-69. In 1968, he led the Cougars in interceptions. "My hard work, encouraged by Brother Boren, had paid off, opening a door to a college education. But, more importantly, a seemingly freak accident had opened a spiritual door through which celestial blessings have continued to pour on me and my family."
He was the first BYU recipient of the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award that recognizes former standout college athletes who excelled in the 25 years after their college sports careers. The other BYU Silver Anniversary Award winners are Gifford Nielsen, Danny Ainge and Steve Young.
EchoHawk also said in his BYU speech that former LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball became a mentor to him, and EchoHawk was inspired by a speech where President Kimball told American Indians at BYU that he saw in a dream where many of them were lawyers looking after their people.
"To me, it was like a patriarchal blessing and a challenge from a prophet of God: 'Get an education. Be a lawyer,'" he said. EchoHawk went on to law school at the University of Utah and later worked as a lawyer for Idaho's largest tribe, the Shoshone-Bannock.
When he ran for Idaho attorney general in 1990, he said, an Idaho political writer wrote, "Larry EchoHawk starts with three strikes against him: He is a Mormon, Indian, Democrat." EchoHawk said he overcame it with hard work anyway.
EchoHawk also told BYU students about the origin of his last name. He said it is the English translation of the name given to his great-grandfather.
"Among the Pawnee, the hawk is a symbol of a warrior. My great-grandfather was known for his bravery, but he was also known as a quiet man who did not speak of his own deeds. As a member of his tribe spoke of his good deeds, it was like an echo from one side of the village to the other. Thus he was named Echo Hawk," he said.
Contributing: Wendy Leonard
E-MAIL: lee@desnews.com
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