The Role of Indian Youth in Tribal Leadership

With the systematic destruction of American Indian tribal cultures, the economic , social, and cultural situations on the nation’s various Indian reservations has reached a crisis. Beset by unemployment, alcohol and drug addiction, domestic violence, educational failures, and the sense of hopelessness that accompanies these situations, the nation’s Native American population has become despondent and unengaged in their own tribal affairs. How can a new generation of leaders develop, one’s that may be able to reverse the plight of their reservations?

The best way to develop a new generation of American Indian leaders and thus begin the process of overcoming many current reservation problems is to engage the youth in specific tribal cultural traditions. For example, establishing regular sweat lodge ceremonies, teaching the tribal language, engaging in tribal dances are all viable avenues for not only the retention, or in some case regeneration, of cultural traditions, but also for the development of tribal leaders. Programs such as the AFSC Wabanaki Youth Program can go a long way to ending the cycles of poverty and degradation that plague the various Indian reservations across the United States.

The AFSC Wabanaki program has engaged tribal youth members from the four groups that make up the Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy). Throughout their history, these tribes, like others in the Northeast United States, have faced the systematic destruction of their cultures. Left with little choice, after centuries of interaction with Anglo-Americans, many of these tribal members have abandoned their traditional ways and have immersed themselves in the ways of the colonial powers. While some tribes have been exterminated in their entirety, others have maintained a tribal presence albeit in some degraded form. Thus, cultural authenticity on the nation’s various reservations is at a premium and those who retain even an ounce of tradition often find themselves in positions of authority on the reservations.

However, because of the rampant poverty on many reservations, those who remain are often not the “best and brightest.” Those making decisions for the tribe may be alcoholics, drug addicts, or abusers. How do those outside the traditional notions of power, i.e. native youth become involved in tribal government and administration without overstepping their position in a traditional tribal society? In short, they do not. Through the work of organizations such as the Wabanaki Youth Program, native youth engage with their culture and their traditions. In many cases, on the nation’s various reservations, it is the youth who have taken a determined stance against many of the major tribal issues (alcohol, drugs, etc). These leaders of tomorrow must be trained not only in their traditional cultures’ mores, but they must also understand the relationship between their tribe and the United States federal government. Thus, when Native youth are engaged in their tribal life, they may be able to right past wrongs and stop the loss of culture and traditional values that plagues many of the nation’s Indian reservations.

With Native youth engaged in their culture and the problems of current tribal administration under broader examination, Indian reservation will no longer be the home of corrupt politicians and those out to make a name for themselves by using their position on tribal council as leverage. Since many tribal communities now own and operate gaming operations, the questions of tribal sovereignty and involvement have never been larger. If native leaders are going to manage a twenty-first century reservation, then they must be as familiar with their specific tribal pasts as they are with the new theories and models of management, policy, and administration. The largest problem plaguing reservation communities today is the lack of cultural understanding. From elders claiming “devil worship” to others refusing to “attend church in a field” a traditions of this nation’s vibrant American Indian cultures continue to erode. Only by engaging the youth, by teaching the young the special place of their tribe in the universe, can these problems be overcome.

Opponents would argue that this recommendation is racist and designed to keep American Indians trapped in some vague past. Critics would say that American Indians, as much as the rest of the nation, live in the twenty-first century and as such must remain modern. This argument, is much like the one made in the 1940s by those who favored the disastrous policies of Termination and Relocation. These critics fail to see the connection to the tribal past in the current situation on Indian reservations. A people without a culture are a people lost in a void. Retaining and instilling a sense of tradition in Indian youth creates a link to a real past, not a fantasy one of Hollywood movies. Further, by instilling aspects of the traditional cultures, these new leaders will be able to combat the problems faced on the reservation in a manner that is both educated by research outside the reservation, but brought to the people in a culturally appropriate and competent manner.

Many programs specific to American Indians must be carried out in a culturally sensitive manner. From suicide prevention to domestic violence treatment, an understanding of the specific cultural history of a tribal people has plagued scholars and confounded practitioners. There is not one single answer to the problems faced on the nation’s many Indian reservations. There are over 560 federally recognized tribes, and many more state and locally recognized tribes. Each of these tribal groups demands its own specific, culturally appropriate, and reasoned action. However, when the youth of the tribe are involved and shown that they indeed have a stake in the future of the tribal, the tribal group as a whole benefits. Thus, programs like the Wabanaki Youth Program should be developed one each reservation. There should be little or no input from outside of the specific culture group, and tribal elders should be encouraged to take part. By instilling a sense of community, alongside a sense of self-determination, Indian youth will see the benefits of participating in their tribal culture as well as seeking remedies to the social, economic, and cultural issues facing their reservation communities.