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History

The Governor's Interstate Indian Council (GIIC) began in 1947 when Minnesota Governor Luther Youngdahl expressed concern about federal government involvement in Indian Affairs. As an alternative, he recommended that Native Americans in the state's work together to address common concerns.

In 1949, Governor Youngdahl invited other states with substantial Indian populations to send delegates to a meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. At that meeting the delegates drafted guidelines to create an organization.

During that same year, Governor Youngdahl presented his ideas to the National Governor's Conference (now the National Governor's Association). The organization concurred with his approach and passed a resolution requesting the new Governor's Interstate Indian Council be concerned with five major issues:

• Bringing about equitable settlement of Indian treaties
• Encouraging social and economic self-sufficiency
• Improving education and training opportunities for Indian people
• Encouraging Indian people to preserve, as individual, their best traditions, values and cultures
• Bringing about an early end to federal wardships and taking the federal government out of Indian affairs

The 1950 meeting brought about a resolution making the GIIC a permanent, official organization. GIIC has worked at the state level to promote cooperation between states, tribes and native people and to work toward solutions to their mutual problems.

GIIC is highly regarded by Indian people, state governments and by the US Congress. The Senate and House Committees on Indian Affairs rely on the GIIC input as do other Congressional committees and national associations.

Mission

In 1993 the GIIC revised it's Mission Statement to reflect its current goals of improving and promoting cooperation between the states and tribal governments. The mission of the Governor's Interstate Indian Council is to:

• Promote and enhance government to government relations between the tribes and states
• Respect and recognize the individual sovereignty of the tribes and the states
• Support the preservation of traditional Indian culture, language and values
• Encourage socioeconomic development aimed at tribal self-sufficiency

Annually the GIIC sponsors a General Assembly hosted by a different member state each year and conducts a general business meeting each spring.

The agenda for the General Assembly includes a report highlighting current issues in each participating state, workshops and panels to discuss issues of mutual concerns and a general business meeting at which GIIC business is conducted.

Three voting delegates may be designated by the Governor to represent him or her at the conference. In order to vote the State must join as a member and pay dues. Other interested individuals may attend as non-voting members.