This was a role the tribe's warriors played in the past and that role has now been assumed by women in the tribe. Congratulations and thanks to those Lakota women warriors. You are doing important work on those patrols, and this demonstrates what can happen when we begin to take steps to solve problems. At the Pueblo of Laguna, the tribe has tapped a variety of federal agencies and mounted a comprehensive community-based attack on alcoholism, domestic violence, and youth crime. I salute the Laguna warriors who conduct nightly patrols in their villages.
Every problem has a solution, even complex and painful problems like the abuse of alcohol and drugs.
Try something, and if it doesn't work, try something else, but do not allow the enormity of the problem to stop all progress. This article was adapted from an address that Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover delivered to the 55th Annual National Congress of American Indians on Oct. 20, 1998.