I am, as always, grateful to my family for their unstinting love and support: Evelyn, Sion, Niltooli, and Nazhone. And thanks to Sam Scinta for his staunch belief in this project. The librarians and archivists at several outstanding libraries and historical societies provided the bulk of the papers presented in this collection: the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University; the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico; the Minnesota Historical Society; and the Special Collections Library at the University of Washington. And to Daniel Cobb, who was kind enough to share some of his own research with me that featured the early years of the National Indian Youth Council.
My deep appreciation also extends to my two gifted mentors, George Whitewolf (Monacan) and Vine Deloria Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux). George devoted his life to resuscitating and sustaining the lifeways of both eastern and western Native peoples, while Vine did the same and was the first person to bring Hank’s name to my attention in 1980. Vine and Hank shared a common love for the peoples, the lands, and the cultures of the Northwest Coast and admired them for, among other things, their dedication to the perpetuation and enhancement of treaty rights.
A hearty thanks also to Nicole Gruhot of the University of Minnesota, who skillfully typed the entire manuscript, and in her spare time no less. I am also deeply appreciative of Carolyn Sobczak, whose excellent editorial skills helped clarify and strengthen the book.
Of course, this work exists only because Hank Adams has spent his entire adult life exercising his personal sovereignty to help enhance the collective sovereignty of Native peoples in the northwest corner of the United States. But Hank’s brilliant writings, testimonies, and diplomatic skills have influenced indigenous peoples and their intergovernmental relations throughout North America and parts of Central America as well.