POULSBO — This year’s White House Tribal Nations Conference, Dec. 5, was a first for Joe Price, who represented the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.

In fact, if not for Price, Port Gamble S’Klallam wouldn’t have had a representative this year.

Price was already heading to D.C. to attend a youth conference for his work with the Healing of the Canoe program. When he spoke with Kelly Sullivan, executive director of tribal services, she said no one had signed up to go before the price of plane tickets became too expensive.

Price traveled with his wife, Laura, who also works for Port Gamble S’Klallam youth services and who attended the other conference while Price went to the Department of the Interior.

“[My daughter] thought it was cool,” he said. “[She] told her classmates I got to see the president.”

Now in its fourth year, the White House hosts the annual conference to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. government and tribal governments; and to develop and implement policies to achieve a brighter future for tribal governments and the people they serve. A representative from each 566 federally recognized Tribes in the U.S. is invited to attend.

Price believes the president and the administration respect tribal sovereignty. But, “Some tribes still have issues with the administration, through treaties that aren’t being followed through. I know they’re working on them,” Price said.

“To just be at the table with [administration officials] and have them sit there and listen … I took it as an honor that I’d be able to do something like that.”

Price was also honored to meet some Navajo Code Talkers at the conference, he said. His grandfather was a code talker, and he said the three men remembered his grandfather.

Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman also attended the conference, as he has for the last three years. He and Price said the biggest topic of the day was the fiscal cliff — if Congress does not come up with a solution to the national debt, every federal department and program will see an automatic funding cut Jan. 1.

Tribal leaders have worked with the National Congress of American Indians to protect the federal funding for Indian country, which is based on the language in treaties, Forsman said.

After the initial speeches, the conference broke up into smaller workshop sessions, delving into topics such as economic development, tribal law enforcement and cultural preservation. Because he works with youth, Price attended a workshop on community health, education and youth.

Forsman noticed more emphasis on protection of sacred sites than in previous years, he said.

“A big initiative within the agency is [to] deal with land resources to help protect sites that are culturally important,” he said. “It’s a very difficult but very important issue.”

Forsman said he advocated for passage of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes stronger provisions to protect Native women who are victims of domestic violence. The clauses relating to tribal jurisdiction have hit roadblocks in Congress, because some members are concerned about Tribal law enforcement being given jurisdiction over non-Native offenders.

Forsman agreed with Price about the importance of the yearly conference, and said he felt “grateful” to have the opportunity to speak with federal officials.

“The administration’s government-to-government relationship, working toward making a difference in long-standing needs in Indian country, are really being met,” he said.