LaDonna Harris Native American Collection

The collection consists of documents from LaDonna Harris' personal life as an activist and from AIO's four decades of operation as a non-profit organization involved in advocacy and development projects related to the needs and rights of Native Americans. The contents of this collection range from Ms. Harris' early years as an activist and wife of U.S. Senator Fred Harris in the 1960s, to her founding of AIO in 1970, and running AIO through the 1990s, to AIO's continued operation under the direction of her daughter, Laura Harris, in the early 2000s. The collection documents AIO's principal activities, including organizing conferences, seminars, workshops, and other programs for Native American tribes and governmental agencies. Major initiatives include: partnerships for the Protection of Tribal Environments; Governance project; Family Systems project; Tribal Issues Management System; Toward an Understanding of Rural Economies; IndianNet; and the Ambassadors Program. Additionally, AIO was instrumental in the formation of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes, American Indian Telecommunications Consortium, Tribal Association of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. The collection contains correspondence, proposals, seminar materials, and publications related to these and other AIO projects. The collection also features material from governments (federal, state, municipal, and tribal) and civil society organizations with which AIO worked. As such, the collection offers a record of the activist groups and governmental agencies that operated in the same milieu as AIO.

Visit the LaDonna Harris Papers and Americans for Indian Opportunity Records finding aid for more information on the physical collection these documents came from.

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Quincentennial Project: The Untold Story: 500 Years of Native American Perseverance-Correspondence 1990

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This file contains letters and fliers exchanged between AIO and sponsors-partners in preparation for the Quincentennial Project The Untold Story: 500 years of Native American Perseverance.
Quincentennial Project: The Untold Story: 500 Years of Native American Perseverance-Correspondence 1990 (Continued)

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This file contains a continued set of letters and fliers exchanged between AIO and sponsors-partners in preparation for the Quincentennial Project The Untold Story: 500 years of Native American Perseverance.
Real Choices in Indian Resources Development

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This is a copy of a report about the Conference on Real Choices in Indian Resources Development attended by fifteen selected tribal leaders from all around the country to examine the alternatives available to Indian tribes in regard to the development of their natural resources.
Religion in American Indian Communities

Author Unknown

This file contains newspaper clippings on Catholicism and American Indians, the Methodist church conflict with Native American rites, Indians lift up traditions offer reconciliation, Symbols and Bravura by American Indians, and the banishment of a religious leader in Cochiti Pueblo.
Repatriation

American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation

This file contains newspaper clippings on the repatriation of Native American ceremonial artifacts to their tribes, a copy of an issue of the Native American Rights Fund magazine dated 1987, a flier for a benefit auction for the Mohawk Valley Community and the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation and LaDonna Harris and AIO’s correspondence concerning the Native American objects and remains repatriation to their original communities.
Repatriation: Culture Recaptured

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This is a copy of AIO’s Repatriation project proposal submitted to the Pew Charitable Trusts in 1992. Repatriation: Culture recaptured is a two-pronged multi-year national education program to be undertaken in a true public-private partnership, forming alliances with several Federal agencies, national professional societies, museums, universities, and Native Americans. The goal of this partnership program will be to produce a comprehensive knowledge base concerning the unique cultures of native peoples. This information can be used to maintain and strengthen living traditions within native communities. Furthermore, these programs will engage the academic and museum communities in establishing a dialog with members of a native community about the significance of their cultural heritage.
Review of Native American Projects Conducted During the Past Decade: Their Findings, Implications, and Applications

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This file contains correspondence, copies of contracts, sub-contracts, funding requests, invoices, and copies of summaries for the proposed American Projects Conducted During the Past Decade: Their findings, implications, and applications during the period 1979-1981. The purpose of this project is to collect, abstract, and analyze completed research and work-in-progress subsidized and/or conducted by Native American groups, government agencies, academic institutions, private foundations, and other sources for creating a computerized data base that will be accessible to Native American groups, government agencies, and researchers.
Review of the 1986 Indian Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act

Gover, Stetson & Williams

This is a copy of the Review of the 1986 Indian Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) prepared for the Council of Energy Resource Tribes based in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of this review of the SDWA was to provide a brief summary of the SDWA and the Indian amendments.
Re-Visioning New Mexico, Inc. Community Economic Development Policy Project

Re-Visioning New Mexico

This file contains announcements, strategies-action plan for a Community Economic Development Policies in New Mexico Symposium to be held on April 28-29 1999. Also included in this file you will find a copy of the agenda for the Community Economic Development Tribal Leaders Symposium dated Sept. 28 1999, an issue of the Re-Vision New Mexico Reports, Fall 1994, and fliers concerning events organized by Re-Envisioning NM.
Rough Rock Demonstration School

Louise E. Rogers

This file contains a copy of a proposal for Navajo Curriculum Center 1972 Rough Rock Demonstration School, a list of publications by the Navajo Curriculum Center, and communications between the Rough Rock Demonstration School and AIO.
Rural Indian Health Roundtable Conference - Final report

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This is a copy of the Rural Indian Health Round Table Conference on Tribal Governments as rural health providers Final Report. The Rural Health Roundtable Conference was held on September 27 and 28, 1990 in Washington D.C., as one of five roundtable meetings sponsored by the Indian Health Service (IHS) Office of Planning, Evaluation and Legislation in 1990. The purpose of the HIS roundtable meeting was to bring together experts in the fields of health care, community development, tribal governance, academia and policy to chart pathways for enabling tribal governments to become providers of rural health services.
Self-Determination

Author Unknown

U.S. Congressional records of the 100th Congress 1st session of September 16, 1987 on the acknowledgement and reaffirmation of the government to government relationship with Native American Indian Tribes, a copy of a conference paper entitled ‘Indian Self-determination the Ideal and Indian Self-Governance the Reality’ by Joseph De La Cruz President of the Quinault Indian Nation, a manuscript of an article entitled ‘Native American Organizers” by Helena Nyerges, a speech by Reuben A. Snake Jr. Tribal Chairman of Winnebago Tribe entitled ‘Toward effective, stable tribal government’ and clippings on Self-Determination and Indigenous rights are included in this file.
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) 1975-2000

SIPI

This file contains correspondence of The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) Board of Regents and LaDonna Harris concerning the SIPI status report dated March 22, 1982, proposal statement, the SIPI Pilot Program, SIPI Accreditation focusing on technical higher education, SIPI statutes, Collaborative programs at SIPI: Adult basic Education, The National Indian Youth Council, and advertisement of SIPI’s Programs of study. Appendices and copies of proposals-reports are attached to this correspondence.
Sovereignty

United States Court of Appeals-Tenth Circuit

This file contains a record of the United States Court of Appeals-Tenth Circuit on a case of sovereign immunity in the Osage Tribe. Attachments include clippings entitled ‘An American Conundrum” an editorial article on the question of Indian identity.
Sports Mascots

Author Unknown

This file contains correspondence and attachments concerning protests against Pro-Football teams’ names and college sports mascots using American Indian names in a derogatory, racist, and disrespectful way.
Taos Pueblo Blue Lake Land Restoration – 20th Anniversary 1970-1990

U.S. Senate Records

These are copies of congressional records and the Taos Pueblo Council Governor’s Office briefing memorandum on the Taos Pueblo Blue Lake Land Restoration. Copies of the Senate records are dated December 1-2, 1970. The governor’s memorandum contains a summary of reasons for enactment of H.R. 471, H.R. 471 will not set a legislative precedent, The legal basis of the Taos Pueblo’s claim for restoration of Blue Lake Lands, President Nixon’s statement in support of Blue Lake Lands Restoration, text of H.R. 471 (House-passed Version), Taos Pueblo objections to Senate Interior Committee Substitute Bill, text of Senate Interior Committee Substitute Bill, Statement of Taos Pueblo Delegation before Subcommittee on Indian Affairs of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on H.R. 471 and S. 750, July 9, 1970, sampling of recent newspaper editorials supporting H.R. 471, Statements of recent newspaper editorials supporting H.R. 471, statements of senators Harris, Kennedy, Pell, Griffin, and Percy in support of H.R. 471, and persons to contact on Blue Lake matters.
Taos Pueblo Blue Lake Land Restoration – 20-Year Commemoration Celebration 1991

R. C. Gordon-McCutchan

This file contains a printed program to the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Taos Pueblo Blue Lake Land Restoration dated September 7 & 8, 1991, and a copy of the printed version of the chapter entitled: The battle for Blue Lake: A struggle for Indian religious rights by R.C. Gordon-McCutchan, published by the Journal of Church and State in the Autumn of 1991. Correspondence and drafts of the preparations for the events in celebration of the Taos Blue Lake Restoration are also included.
The Aboriginal Peoples Alliance

LaDonna Harris

This is a draft of an outline for a proposal to establish an alliance of native peoples to be tentatively called “The Aboriginal Peoples Alliance” who are found in the Americas and the Circum-Pacific region of the world.
The American Indian Ambassadors Program: Pathways for the Future

LaDonna Harris and Laura Harris

This file contains triptychs on the American Indian Ambassadors Program and AIO’s thirtieth anniversary. Communications, invitations, and drafts of the triptychs are also included in this set of documents.
The American Indian: Challenge and Response

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This is a collection of drafts about American Indian Special-Interests Organizations, programs, and projects. These documents synthesize information about the National Indian organizations such as the Institute for Development of Indian Law, The National Congress of American Indians, The National Council on Indian Opportunity, The National Tribal Chairmen's Association, The American Indian Movement, Association on American Indian Affairs, and The Americans for Indian Opportunity. The Challenge: a detailed description of the American Indian today and the Response: Indian Organizations
The Comanche Code Talkers of World War II

Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO)

This file contains abstracts, correspondence between American for Indian Opportunity and the Secretary of Defense, newspaper clippings, and pictures of celebrations honoring the Comanche Code Talkers of World War II.
The Creation of an Indian Mediation and Conciliation Team

LaDonna Harris

This file contains: (a) a proposal to create an Indian team to be trained in mediation and conciliation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), (b) correspondence between LaDonna Harris and Native American organizations requesting their support to this initiative, (c) a draft of a concept paper on the Development and Training of an Indian Interactive Management Team in Indian Country, (d) a draft of a paper entitled ‘Barriers to effective tribal interaction with EPA as stated by EPA staff in conference calls, and (e) replies supporting LaDonna Harris and AIO’s proposal.
The Economic and Fiscal Importance of American Indians in New Mexico

Alfred L. Parker and UNM

This study examines the economic relationship of New Mexico Indians to the state’s economy with the purpose of developing facts that will help to define that relationship. The discussion and analysis presented in this report is based primarily on information collected from survey documents distributed to New Mexico State agencies and survey documents distributed to a number of New Mexico Indian tribes and pueblos in late 1992 and early 1993.
The Economic and Fiscal Importance of American Indians in New Mexico – Draft

Alfred L. Parker, Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO), and UNM

This is a draft of The Economic and Fiscal Importance of American Indians in New Mexico: A research report prepared by Alfred L. Parker, Professor of Economics-University of New Mexico in cooperation with Americans for Indian Opportunity and the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs.
The Emerging Demand for 21st Century Super Chiefs (And/Or Super Chieftess')

Reuben A. Snake Jr.

This is a symposium paper on Tribal Governance to address a broad range of issues impacting the continuing development and establishment of effective and efficient tribal governments.