Announcing the Launch of the Official Website of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and Recapping the Work of Our Tribal Government
The Tribe is pleased to announce the launch of the Official Website of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. This website will serve as a central resource for our Tribal Members and those who are seeking to interface with our Tribe.
Over the past year, we have worked very hard to develop our Tribal government to serve our Tribal Members. Some of these developments are:
- Confirming the Current Roll of all Tribal Members and re-opening the Tribal Enrollment process for new applicants.
- Adopting Rules of Procedure for Enrollment Appeals for any denials for enrollment that may be appealed to the Tribal Court.
- Appointing the Tribe’s presiding Tribal Court Judge, Kristina Kalka, and the Tribe’s presiding Appellate Court Judge, Thomas E. Weathers, to 4-year terms of office, and confirming the prior appointment of Judge Wes Williams, Jr. as the Tribal Court Judge who hears election related matters.
- Adopting a Budget for 2019 Tribal Government operations.
- Adopting a Travel and Expense Policy to manage and account for all Tribal government travel and expenses.
- Securing federal contracts with the Indian Health Service (HIS) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to provide funds and assistance to develop the Tribal Health Department, support the development of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribal Court, and support the work of the Tribes enrollment department.
- Obtaining and organizing past Tribal records while also implementing a record-keeping and organization system for new Tribal records.
- Adopting a process for Tribal Members who request Tribal Assistance to be considered on an equal basis.
- Working towards securing a permanent reservation for our Tribe under our Treaty with the Navajo Nation.
While we have had many successes this past year, there is still a lot to do. Our Tribal Law & Order Code (which is now published on our Tribal website) requires many more new titles and chapters to fully address the needs of our People. We must continue to plan how we will use the funds we receive from gaming to balance the current needs of our Tribal Members with the sustainability of our Tribe for generations to come. And we must continue to focus on securing a permanent homeland for our Tribe that will allow us to have opportunities for housing and economic development. Our Tribal Members have gone too long without resources and help that other tribes have access to because they have a reservation of their own. This must change.
Although these are not small things to accomplish, we can do these things by working together and being committed to who we are as San Juan Southern Paiutes. Our children and grandchildren are the future of our Tribe and we owe it to them to do what we need to do to make their lives better. We hope that the steps we have taken this past year will provide that foundation as we continue forward. We are proud to be San Juan Southern Paiute and we are here!
