The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes figured prominently in Friday's swearing in ceremony for the new Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry EchoHawk in Washington, D.C.

In a heartfelt address, EchoHawk, a Pawnee tribal member, acknowledged the Shoshone-Bannocks for taking a chance and hiring him as a young attorney fresh out of law school in 1976, saying it paved the way for him to take the helm as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"For the next nine years after I was selected as tribal attorney, I served with my heart and soul and they (the tribes) became a part of me. I want to say thank you," said EchoHawk, as he looked toward the contingent of Shoshone-Bannock tribal members in attendance.

"I would not be here if that decision had not been made."

Two weeks ago when Fort Hall Business Council Chairman Alonzo Coby was in Washington, D.C., EchoHawk asked if the tribes, along with the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, would be there alongside him at the ceremony.

In response to this honorable request, seven eagle feather bonnets were painstakingly transported from Fort Hall to the Nation's Capital and worn by tribal members in the ceremony including Councilman LeeJuan Tyler, who provided a prayer prior to EchoHawk's swearing in by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

"It was a great opportunity to be asked to give the prayer today, not only for me and for my family, but for the tribes and our ancestors who traveled here in the 1880s to protect our treaty rights," said Tyler.

EchoHawk used the opportunity of his swearing to acknowledge the unprecedented number of Native Americans recently appointed to high-level federal positions, including Kim Teehee, Cherokee, President Obama's choice for the newly-created position of senior advisor on Indian affairs at the White House, and Hilary Tompkins, Navajo, Interior's new solicitor general, who were both in attendance at Friday's event.

During the two-hour ceremony, Chairman Coby sat alongside the Pawnee Nation President George Howell, EchoHawk and Salazar on stage. Following the oath of office EchoHawk and Salazar were invited to the floor for a short traditional round dance with drumming provided by the Spring Creek Singers and led by eight-year-old Keno Coby, Jr., of Fort Hall.

Coby's father LaGrand made a small drum that could be transported by plane especially for the event. Tyler, former council member and veteran Arnold Appeney and Gifferd Osborne participated in the color guard. The model for the Sacajewea coin, Randy'L Teton, presented gifts from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to EchoHawk and Salazar.

For the last 14 years, EchoHawk, 60, has served as a law professor at Brigham Young University and is on leave from that position during his tenure as assistant secretary. He also served in the Idaho Legislature while working for the Sho-Ban Tribes and later as Idaho attorney general, the first Native American in history to be elected to a state office.

"The tribal council back then was supportive of Larry being general counsel and serving on the legislature. As he said today, his years with the tribes helped him get to where he is today," said Appeney, who served on the council when EchoHawk was the tribes' attorney.

Carrying on the tradition, EchoHawk's sons, Paul and Mark, currently provide legal services to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes out of their office in Pocatello.

(Information provided to Local News 8 by press release)