Now that the presidency of Barack Obama is realized, it is time for tribal leaders all across Indian Country to realize a common vision that will promote and secure the physical, spiritual and financial health of tribal people across the land.

Many observers and analysts of Indian policy development say providing a unified voice to the new president is the only way to bring about true change in tribal communities. Tribal leaders must articulate shared goals that match the overall goals of the new administration.

In order to do this, those in leadership positions within tribal governments must understand the basic principles of federal Indian law, the federal budget process, the state legislative process, and other areas of government-to-government relations.

The American Indian Law Center will host a tribal leaders conference titled "Transitions: Building Stronger Tribal Governance" that is designed to provide tribal leaders the opportunity to expose themselves to issues and topics they will likely be encountering as they continue to develop policy and enhance their tribal governments.

"In my practice as an Indian law attorney, I saw that some tribal leaders were not properly informed on fundamental principles of federal Indian law, or of federal and state funding processes. This put them at a disadvantage," said Helen Padilla, director of AILC and a citizen of Isleta Pueblo.

"With proper training, tribal leaders can get a jump-start on learning about many of the topics and issues that will help them become stronger advocates and leaders of their communities. For example, if a tribal leader has never before dealt with securing capital outlay appropriations for his tribal community, how successful will he be without understanding the state legislative process?" Padilla added.

According to an AILC press release, three former U.S. Interior assistant secretaries of Indian Affairs and a deputy assistant secretary will offer their insight into the development of federal Indian policy, and what tribal leaders should consider from the Obama administration. Forrest Gerard, Tom Fredericks, Kevin Gover and Sam Deloria will form a panel during the conference, which will be held Feb. 22-24 at the Isleta Hotel and Convention Center (www.ailc-inc.org).

"Tribal leaders will learn from the experts how advocating for your own tribe, as an elected or appointed leader, when dealing with state legislators or U.S. congressional delegates has much more impact than hiring a lobbyist," Padilla said.

Other key topic areas that will be covered include:

• Building Intergovernmental Relationships
• Understanding the Federal Budget Process
• Advocating for Your Tribe.

"The opportunity to learn from each other and to discuss these issues among themselves is another advantage for tribal leaders attending the conference," Padilla said. "The comments that we received from last year's conference definitely helped develop the agenda for this year's conference and covering the basics of these important topics is crucial."

In this year's state legislative session, a bill introduced by Sen. John Pinto, called the "State-Tribal Collaboration Act," builds on Gov. Bill Richardson's previous initiatives to move into state statute a proven structure for effective government-to-government collaboration between state and tribal agencies, according to Secretary of Indian Affairs Alvin Warren.

Warren said the purpose of the act is to provide for greater consistency across all cabinet level agencies and to ensure that this effective structure continues in future administrations.

This is precisely the type of action that is needed both here in the state and in the federal process to ensure that Native people are at the table when important decisions are made.

President Obama has opened a door and is creating an atmosphere for positive change, now it is up to our tribal leaders to gather themselves, create solidarity and walk through the door and state their collective case.

Harlan McKosato, a Sauk/Ioway, is host of the syndicated radio show Native Americ
a Calling, which airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on KUNM, 89.9 FM.