TAMA - There was a pretty clear image of Native Americans for young kids growing up in Tanzania decades ago.

"The first thing they showed us was John Wayne fighting Indians," said Augustine Mahiga, his country's ambassador to the United Nations.

Most of what he learned about Native Americans was positive, though still often misconstrued, Mahiga added. Since then, he and others have learned more about tribes in America.

Mahiga was one of three U.N. ambassadors visiting the Meskwaki Settlement on Monday as part of an trip organized by the Humpty Dumpty Institute. The organization is based in New York and its goal is to increase relations between the U.S. Congress and the United Nations.

As part of that mission, the foundation brings ambassadors to parts of the country they might not otherwise visit, said Joseph Merante, institute's executive director. The visit may also help in the future when ambassadors meet with members of Congress.

"They can say, 'Yes, we know something about Iowa,'" Merante said.

He said the outings also help Americans understand the wide range of roles the United Nations takes on. Oftentimes, the organization faces a negative perception in the United States.

"We're not here to support the United Nations," Merante said. "We're just here to force the dialogue."

The ambassadors came to Iowa a few days ahead of the Norman Borlaug International Symposium in Ames, which begins Oct. 17. While the visit to the Meskwaki Settlement wasn't the delegation's only stop while in Iowa, it was their only chance to experience Native American culture.

Organizers, however, greatly scaled back the presentation from original plans because of a death of a tribal elder, said Larry Lasley, executive director of governmental relations for the tribe.

Jorge Skinner-Klee, Guatemala's UN ambassador, drew sharp comparisons between American Indians and those of his home.

Guatemala has a large population of indigenous tribes. Most can claim direct ancestry to the Mayas. But Skinner-Klee said American Indian tribes have a much different experience than their Latin American counterparts.

"It's an eye-opener to find indigenous people in a different state of social and political development," he said.

Oftentimes, indigenous groups' customs and cultures, like those of some Guatemalan tribes, are seen as backwards and not respected, he said. But visits like Monday's underline the importance of protecting those groups, he said.

Skinner-Klee was one of many people who worked on the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a nonbinding document that outlined rights for groups like American Indians and ways to protect their cultures. The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were the only countries to vote against the document.

Skinner-Klee said he understood the U.S. position, since the document could have an effect on treaties and laws already governing relations with American Indian tribes.

Rhonda Pushetonequa, a Meskwaki tribal member, said she liked the fact the ambassadors mentioned the declaration. She believed such exchanges may help persuade U.S. officials to change their opinions.

"I think for them to come here and see us and maybe to help change things so that the U.S. does accept it and recognize that there are indigenous people and we do have certain rights that go beyond what the Constitution says," she said.

She also viewed the visit as an important historical event, though her two-year-old grandson Davian used the time to play. Seventh- through 12th-grade students at the Meskwaki Settlement School also listened to the ambassadors speak.

Sylvester Rowe, Sierra Leone's ambassador, urged the students to think globally about their role in society. He said that while he was participating in a large, global organization of formal representatives, each person can be an ambassador in their own way.

"Maybe I'll see you in New York or Montreal or in Freetown (Sierra Leone) or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) as a representative of your town," he said.

Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.