Joe DeLaCruz
Encyclopedia
Joe DeLaCruz was a Native American
leader in Washington, U.S., president for 22 years of the Quinault
Tribe. He was reputed for his "thorough, in-depth knowledge of probably every Indian tribe in North America." According to Suzan Harjo
, "His programs became models for Native Americans everywhere."
Grays Harbor County
, Washington, the eldest of 10 children. In high school he was student-body president and a four-sport athlete. He fished in the summers with his grandfather on the Quinault River, drove a school bus and worked at the local lumber mill.
He served two years in the United States Army
in Germany, then attended Portland State University
in Portland
, Oregon
, after which he took a federal government job in that city. In 1967 he came back to the reservation as tribal business manager, and in 1971 was elected tribal president, a position he held for 22 years.
DeLaCruz was significantly involved in the rising militancy among Native Americans in the early 1970s. He participated in the 1970 confrontations at Fort Lawton
in Seattle, Washington that led to the founding of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and the Daybreak Star Cultural Center
. He was one of the organizers of the 1971 protest that blocked logging roads at the Chow Chow Bridge against companies that were logging on tribal lands and demanded the right for the Quinaults to manage their own natural resources. He advocated for Native salmon fishing rights and rights to control their coastal beaches. Under his leadership, the Quinaults hired their own juvenile counselors, police officers and foresters. He was one of the architects of the Centennial Accord, which delineates the principles of government to government relationship between the tribes and the State of Washington.
He was elected president of the National Tribal Chairmen's Association (1977) president of the National Congress of American Indians
(1981), serving four years in the latter post. From 1984 until his death, DeLaCruz served as chair of public policy at the Center for World Indigenous Studies
.
After his 2000 death from a heart attack, he was memorialized by the establishment of the Joe DelaCruz Center for Advanced Studies in Tribal Government, a project of Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (NIARI) at The Evergreen State College
.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
leader in Washington, U.S., president for 22 years of the Quinault
Quinault (tribe)
The Quinault are a group of Native American peoples from western Washington in the United States.-Lands:The Quinault Indian Reservation, at , is located on the Pacific coast of Washington, primarily in northwestern Grays Harbor County, with small parts extending north into southwestern Jefferson...
Tribe. He was reputed for his "thorough, in-depth knowledge of probably every Indian tribe in North America." According to Suzan Harjo
Suzan Shown Harjo
Suzan Shown Harjo is a well-known Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee advocate for American Indian rights. She is a poet, writer, lecturer, curator, and policy advocate, who has helped Native peoples recover over a million acres of land...
, "His programs became models for Native Americans everywhere."
Life
DeLaCruz grew up on the Quinault Reservation in TaholahTaholah, Washington
Taholah is a census-designated place on the Quinault Indian Reservation, in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. Named for a Quinault chief in 1905, its population was 824 at the 2000 census...
Grays Harbor County
Grays Harbor County, Washington
Grays Harbor County is a county in the state of Washington, in the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 72,797. The county seat is at Montesano, and its largest city is Aberdeen. The county is named after a large estuarine bay near its southwestern corner...
, Washington, the eldest of 10 children. In high school he was student-body president and a four-sport athlete. He fished in the summers with his grandfather on the Quinault River, drove a school bus and worked at the local lumber mill.
He served two years in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Germany, then attended Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, after which he took a federal government job in that city. In 1967 he came back to the reservation as tribal business manager, and in 1971 was elected tribal president, a position he held for 22 years.
DeLaCruz was significantly involved in the rising militancy among Native Americans in the early 1970s. He participated in the 1970 confrontations at Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton is a United States Army fort located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list.-History:...
in Seattle, Washington that led to the founding of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and the Daybreak Star Cultural Center
Daybreak Star Cultural Center
The Daybreak Star Cultural Center is a Native American cultural center in Seattle, Washington, described by its parent organization United Indians of All Tribes as "an urban base for Native Americans in the Seattle area." Located on 20 acres in Seattle's Discovery Park in the Magnolia...
. He was one of the organizers of the 1971 protest that blocked logging roads at the Chow Chow Bridge against companies that were logging on tribal lands and demanded the right for the Quinaults to manage their own natural resources. He advocated for Native salmon fishing rights and rights to control their coastal beaches. Under his leadership, the Quinaults hired their own juvenile counselors, police officers and foresters. He was one of the architects of the Centennial Accord, which delineates the principles of government to government relationship between the tribes and the State of Washington.
He was elected president of the National Tribal Chairmen's Association (1977) president of the National Congress of American Indians
National Congress of American Indians
The National Congress of American Indians is a American Indian and Alaska Native indigenous rights organization. It was founded in 1944 in response to termination and assimilation policies that the U.S. government forced upon the tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and...
(1981), serving four years in the latter post. From 1984 until his death, DeLaCruz served as chair of public policy at the Center for World Indigenous Studies
Center for World Indigenous Studies
The Center for World Indigenous Studies is a non-profit American organization. It was founded in 1984 by Dr. Rudolph C. Ryser, Ph.D. and Chief George Manuel as an independent research and education organization...
.
After his 2000 death from a heart attack, he was memorialized by the establishment of the Joe DelaCruz Center for Advanced Studies in Tribal Government, a project of Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (NIARI) at The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
.
External links
- Biography at HistoryLinkHistoryLinkHistoryLink is a website that is an encyclopedia of Washington State history. The site has more than 4,500 stories. There are 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images....
- Joe DelaCruz Center for Advanced Studies in Tribal Government, The Evergreen State College. Page includes a photo of DelaCruz.
- Joe DeLaCruz, Keynote Address to the National Fisheries Conference, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs National Indian Brotherhood, 1980-05-20. Fourth World Documentation Project.
- Joe DeLaCruz, "Defending Our Inalienable Rights: We Cannot Fail Our Children", Presidential Address to National Congress of American Indians, 1984-09-10. Fourth World Documentation Project.
- Joe DeLaCruz, Indian Governments and Neighboring Governments: Sovereign Equality and Standards of Conduct Within the Context of Government-to-Government Relations, remarks before the Seminar on Government-to-Government Relations. American Indian Opportunity. Renton Sheraton Hotel. February 25, 1985.
- Joe DeLaCruz, Testimony on behalf of the Quinault Indian Nation before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Field Hearings On Senate Bill 1691 - Tribal Sovereign Immunity, April 7, 1998, Seattle, Washington. Fourth World Documentation Project.