Travis Parashonts, a Cedar Band of Paiutes member, says it is crucial that American Indians stop complaining, step up to the plate and take responsibility for the challenges on the reservations - even though history has not been fair.

During the second annual Native American Summit here on Wednesday, Parashonts told a group of some 125 tribal and state officials that tribal leaders need to be held accountable for making sure goals are completed and students are successful in school.

"Get up and do something about it," he challenged. "For too long we've been waiting for someone to come do it for us."

Education, health care and economic development were the top discussion items during the state's two-day conference at Southern Utah University, organized by the offices of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.

Last year's summit was the first of its kind among Utah and the state's tribes. Huntsman says he initiated the event because he was tired of hearing about decade-old problems and hopes the summit gets state officials, educators and tribal leaders setting priorities and working together.

During his keynote address, Parashonts shared the story of the Cedar Band of Paiutes to encourage tribal leaders not to give up. The Utah band was stripped of its U.S. federal recognition in the 1950s. Band members fought against the system for decades, and the band was finally re-issued recognition in 1980. Then it took nine years for the band's 4,900 acres of land in Southwestern Utah to be re-allotted, Parashonts said.

Since then, the band has been trying to develop plans for its "beautiful land" of sagebrush and rocks. There is no hunting or fishing and no water rights or natural resources on the reservation to draw any kind of revenue, Parashonts said.

"It's not fair what the system does," he said.

Still, the band of some 275 people has persevered. About four years ago, Parashonts and a handful of band members started Suh'dutsing Technologies, LLC, an information technology company. Today, the company employs 40 people, has annual revenues of about $15 million and has won several business and community awards, Parashonts said.

It took passionate people to get the company up and going, Parashonts added, and there's no room for failure because the people, the reservation, depend on its success. He challenged tribal leaders to make priorities, from getting kids to go to college to establishing businesses, and "make something happen."

"If you have the passion, you're going to do whatever it takes," he said. "I ask you to go the extra mile . . . for the betterment of our Indian people."

During the summit's health care discussion Wednesday, a state official said that after the 2006 event, a 12-member health committee comprised of state and tribal leaders was created and later met to set health care priorities for this year, including:

* Training and educating people about issues ranging from methamphetamine abuse to bioterrorism preparedness.

* Ensuring that health services are provided statewide.

* Developing policies, such as a consultation process to include and inform tribes of changes in state agency regulations. (A Department of Health "consultation policy" was signed by Huntsman and tribal leaders in November 2006 that includes tribes in policy discussions and making decisions.)

Curtis Cesspooch, Ute Indian Tribe chairman, says he would like to see educational workshops about substance abuse and meth that are offered on the reservations. He says its vital that Indian youth are exposed to the problems that stem from drug use and hear from recovering addicts.

Harold Cuthair, a Ute Mountain Ute Tribe council member, says it's good that issues are being discussed but he's weary of the consultation policies with state agencies. It's almost impossible to navigate the system to try to get funding or resources for various programs, he says. The state needs to recognize that American Indians are Utahns, even though they live on sovereign lands.

"A lot of times you see Native Americans neglected from all these programs," Cuthair said. "We're Americans, too."

jsanchez@sltrib.com