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Quinault Indian Nation 



POST OFFICE BOX 189 I TAHOLAH, WASHINGTON 98587 .: TELEPHONE (206)276-8211 



TESTIMONY OF JIM HARP ON BEHALF OF THE QUINAULT INDIAN NATION 



BEFORE THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE 



REGARDING LEGISLATION CONCERNING FISH AND WILDLIFE 



RESOURCES OF INTEREST TO INDIAN COMMUNITIES 



WASHINGTON, D.C., FEBRUARY 18, 1993 



I am pleased to appear before the Committee to express the views of the 

 Quinault Indian Nation regarding concerns pertaining to management of fish, wildlife, 

 and plants. I am Jim Harp, Fisheries Manager and an elected representative of the 

 Quinault Nation. 



We at Quinault are encouraged that Congress is seeking tribal views on how 

 the United States could improve the administration of its trust responsibilities toward 

 Indian tribes. We are aware that the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs has 

 also initiated efforts to determine the necessity and scope for legislative action 

 concerning management of fish, wildlife, and plant resources of concern to Indian 

 tribes and urge that the House and Senate work in concert with Indian tribes to 

 ultimately develop legislation that can be enacted into law. 



I would like to premise our statement with a few remarks that may help provide 

 perspective and understanding of our views. Fish, wildlife, and plants have been 

 central to our culture, economy, and survival. Under the 1855 Treaty of Olympia, the 

 United States assumed a trust responsibility to protect our rights to hunt, fish, and 

 gather. Since then, time and again, Indian people been jailed, abused, and forced to 

 the courts when attempting to exercise treaty-protected rights. Only after lengthy and 

 costly litigation affirming our rights, has the United States been willing to provide 

 financial resources for management of the resources which comprise our heritage. In 

 effect, the United States has historically taken the posture that our Treaties have no 

 meaning unless and until the courts say they do. We find such attitudes abominable. 

 They have led to the depletion of important resources, erosion of sovereignty, 

 reduction in management effectiveness, and diminishment of the legacy that we leave 

 our children. 



