Government – FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Most frequent questions and answers

What qualifies an individual to serve on the Council?

Individuals who have demonstrated constant commitment and participation to the Opata cause for several years with the purpose of keeping our light shining, without seeking personal gain in exchange for their time invested. People who seek the common good of our nation and show the characteristics of leadership quality and ability, and who seek to organize, strengthen, and guide us as a whole whenever our nation loses focus on any of our goals.

What are the other requirements for any candidate for the Council?

  • To be an active and responsible volunteer for more than 2 consecutive years.
  • Show constant commitment to the Opata nation with facts and actions, not just words.
  • To be officially recognized as a member of the Opata Nation (Project in the process of being prepared).
  • At the time of the proposal, the individual must be performing due to your volunteer position or member of the General Committee in some of the duties from the members of the council.

What could open one or more of the 9 positions of the Council in the future?

For the time being, we plan to implement a modern version of the traditional organization, where membership can be indefinite (renewal consultation / election every 5 years) as long as the individuals comply with their duties and work to meet the objectives in the time stipulated for each project, which could be validated (every five years after the member took charge of the position) through a “consultation to renew the position”, exercise that will be carried out by a general vote of all the official members of the Opata Nation registered until then; the Council will be defined if the individual will continue as a member of the council or not.

The following is a list of points that would not allow any member of the council to perform its functions and for which that person will be removed by vote:

  • Serious physical illness.
  • ​Death.
  • Personal problems that do not allow the member to continue.
  • Lack of ethics.
  • Corruption.
  • Mental illness.
  • Financial conflict of interest.
  • Continuous absence from meetings or the decision-making process.
  • Behavior that reflects badly on the Opata Nation as a whole.

What is the General Committee?

Members of the Opata Nation with a profession and skills (example: lawyers, systems engineers, linguists, etc.) that in a certain way make them experts in those topics to which the Council will submit tasks for evaluation before continuing.

What is the framework of action of the General Committee?

The members of the committee must agree to collaborate in at least one project on which the Opata nation is working. (Examples: land acquisition or restitution, agriculture, language recovery, and education, other traditional arts, indigenous rights in both the United States and Mexico, tribal recognition, etc.)

The members of the General Committee may not represent or speak on behalf of the Opata nation unless the Council votes for a temporary authorization granting the stipulated member the right to represent us for a defined period of time.

Is there any kind of monetary remuneration for the positions held?

Any of the positions of the Government of the Opata Nation such as members of the Council, General Committee or Volunteers are without pay (without monetary remuneration for any activity, service or time provided), since they are positions of service to our community , with the goal of impartially serving the Opata Nation in the best possible way.

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