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 Tex.
G. Hall, “Ihbudah Hishi” (“Red
Tipped Arrow”), grew up on his family’s
cattle ranch in Mandaree, located in the heart of
the Mandan,
Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota.
Tex followed in the footsteps of his father and
grandfather, both ranchers, who told him to “pay
attention and learn as much as you can, because
someday you may have to lead your people.”
Chairman of his tribe - 1998
Those words became reality on November, 1998 when
Tex was elected Chairman of his tribe. In fact,
Tex was elected 40 years to the date that his grandfather
was elected Chairman of the Tribal Council in 1958.
Tex was overwhelmingly re-elected Chairman for a
second term, the first time that has even happened,
in 2002.
Growing up, Tex’s parents made it clear that
schooling is important and they were committed to
making sure their children were well educated. As
a result, once Tex graduated from the University
of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, he went back
to teach high school and coach basketball. After
earning his masters from the University of South
Dakota, Tex became school principal and then school
superintendent at the Mandaree School on his reservation
for 11 years. While in that position, Tex was named
North Dakota Educator of the year in 1995 by his
peers. In 2002, Tex received the University of Mary
Leadership Award, his alma mater’s highest
award of distinction, for his dedication to education.
In 1999, Tex was inducted into the North Dakota
Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments first
as a high school basketball player and then for
his work for Native youth in setting up basketball
camps across the United States and Canada.
National Congress of American Indians - 2001
Tex was elected President of the National
Congress of American Indians in 2001.
In that capacity, Tex has led the fight for the
protection of tribal sovereignty and been the most
outspoken and active voice for tribal rights in
Washington, D.C., where he has testified a record
60 times in front of Congress. Earlier this year,
Tex delivered the first ever State of the Indian
Nations address, in which he not only challenged
Congress and the Administration to live up to the
United States’ trust responsibility to tribes,
but he also announced a new initiative to create
100,000 new jobs in Indian Country by 2008. Later
in the year, Tex appeared on C-SPAN to defend Native
gaming tribes from unfair and inaccurate charges.
Tex has expanded the presence of NCAI politically,
not just in Washington, but in state capitals across
the nation. Tex has also worked hard to get state
and federal officials to work together on a bipartisan
basis for Indian Country. Tex has been closely identified
with the national fight for Trust Reform, Sovereignty
Protection, Economic Development, Homeland Security,
and Cultural Protection.
Recently, Tex helped lead the fight against the
historic discrimination of Native American farmers
as a lead plaintiff in the Keepseagle class action
lawsuit filed against the United States Department
of Agriculture.
Tex has helped lead the fight against domestic violence
by lobbying for the reauthorization of the Violence
Against Women Act, increasing tribal criminal authority
to prosecute domestic and sexual violence offenders,
and creating a federal tribal grant program to provide
services to Native American women survivors.
When Tex was elected Chairman of his Tribe’s
Council, Tex immediately put to work the lessons
of hard work and education he learned growing up.
Tex went to work on his announced priorities for
his Tribe – education, economic development,
and health care.
Through his leadership, Tex has:
- Brought back over $205 million to the Reservation
in new funding, including a new bridge ($60
million), Dakota water project ($70 million),
cultural center ($11.5 million), juvenile justice
center ($6 million), Intertribal economic alliance
($56 million) and $250,000 for the Health Technology
Task Force
- Delivered an economic turnaround for his tribe
- Cut the unemployment rate from 50% to just
under 15%
- Helped create more than 300 new jobs on the
Reservation
- In 1999, chaired a historic meeting with President
Clinton and Great Plains Tribe at the White
House
- Created a new Head Start initiative to increase
positions at tribal schools
Volunteer Service
Tex has always understood that real leadership also
requires volunteer service. Tex has proven his dedication
to Native American rights by serving as Secretary
and Treasurer of the United Tribes Technical College,
Chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmans’
Association, Chairman of the Native American Bank
Corporation, Board member of the Council of Energy
Resource Tribes, Co-Chairman of the National Tribal
Leaders Task Force on Trust Reform, Co-Chairman
of the National Tribal Leaders Task Force on Health
Care, President of the NCAI President’s Health
Technology Task Force, Co-Chairman of the NCAI Tribal
Transportation Task Force, Co-Chairman of the National
Tribal Leaders Land into Trust Task Force and as
President of the 1999 North American Indigenous
Games. Tex will also serve as Chairman of the 2004
Native American Basketball Invitational.
Tex is a serious basketball player and fan, and
also a fiercely loyal Minnesota Vikings fan. He
plays on the North Dakota Warriors basketball team,
which has won five National Indian Athletic Association
titles.
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