Sunday, July 17 · 4:00pm – 5:00pm – Pro.John Gates and Alan Parker will be my guests on Make No Bones About it.” to discuss the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Only KAOS 89.3 fm (kaosradio.org)
John David Gates, J.D.
An enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, John was born and raised in Gallup, New Mexico, which is located 135 miles west of Albuquerque. His primary a reason of professional expertise lie in the areas of federal Indian law and policy, and international indigenous human rights. John received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico, and his law degree from the University Of Iowa College Of Law.
After graduating from law school, John served as prosecutor for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and served on the bench as Judge Pro Tem for the Laguna Pueblo, located in New Mexico. John taught courses in Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico from 1997/2004, where he also worked collaboratively with the faculty to establish a bachelor degree program in NAS. While employed under legal contracts with several tribes in New Mexico, John taught courses in cultural studies at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque. In 2004/05, John was awarded a J. William Fulbright Senior Scholar fellowship to teach courses in federal Indian
law and international indigenous human rights at the University Of Bonn, Germany.
John currently serves as an expert witness on matters related to Native Hawai’ian sovereignty and self-determination. He currently is a full time faculty member in The Evergreen State
College Master of Public Administration/ Tribal Governance Program.
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Alan Parker is the Director of the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute at The Evergreen State College where he also has served as a member of the faculty since September of 1997. A citizen of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Nation, Parker lived for many years with his family on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Northern Montana. Alan graduated from the UCLA School of Law in 1972 and practiced law in Washington, DC for over twenty years before joining the Evergreen College faculty in 1997. While in Washington, DC, he directed research on tribal governments for the American Indian Policy Review Commission and was the first Native American to serve as Chief Counsel to the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. (1977-81, 1987-91)
During his service in the US Senate he was instrumental in securing passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the Tribal Self-governance Act, the American Indian Development Finance Corporation Act and numerous tribal land and water claims settlements. He also served as President of the American Indian National Bank from 1982 through 1987 and later organized the first “Native American think tank”, the National Indian Policy Center at George Washington University. On May 21, 2000 Washington State Governor Gary Locke appointed Professor Parker as the first Native American attorney to serve on the Washington State Gambling Commission.
Professor Parker recently organized with collegue Dr. Linda Moon Stumpff, the nation’s first graduate school program in tribal management, the Master in Public Administration: Tribal Government. His research interests are currently focused on integrating cultural revitalization, governance and sustainability through implementing tribal self-determination. (see: Epistomology of Native Studies) He has also been engaged in comparative studies of indigenous nations of the Pacific Rim. As co chair of the committee on indigenous nation relationships of the National Congress of American Indians, he is coordinating treaty negotiations to establish a United League of Indigenous Nations.
Make No Bones About It 