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Native American Convention Tomorrow at Old Stone Fort
By Toye HeapeNashville, Sep. 21, 2001 -- Delegates from across the state will meet at 2:00 pm CST on Saturday at Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Area in Manchester, during an event that organizers are calling the first Tennessee Native American Convention.
Delegates to the convention were picked at seven caucuses held in different areas of the state in August. They hope to elect members to the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs, following a process outlined in a bill introduced during the last session of the state's General Assembly. The legislation was passed by the Senate but was never brought to a vote on the House floor and is not currently in effect.
Attendees at the caucus held in Nashville last month said that they hoped to get a head start on the process and increase chances that the legislation will pass next year by going ahead with the elections now.
Governor Don Sundquist vetoed funding for the commission in June after refusing to make appointments to the agency and letting the terms of all sitting members expire. The commission technically still exists, although it has no commission members and no staff, and is currently in a one year 'wind-down' period prescribed by Tennessee's so-called "Sunset law". If state lawmakers don't pass legislation extending the commission during the upcoming session of the legislature that begins in January, the agency will cease to exist entirely on July 1, 2002.
Information on the Tennessee Native American Convention is available at the organization's web site at http://www.tnnac.org .
