A friend called me up a couple of weeks ago to ask me this question; how should he respond to tribal workers who accuse him of being a "White Man" when he tries to hold them accountable at work? He had heard about our course, Introduction to Ethical Issues on Indian Reservations, and thought maybe I could help him.
"Good question," I thought. Over the years, some of my biggest challenges were tribal workers who missed or tried to get out of work due to their "being Indian."
It was a Friday evening, and I was in a pool hall shooting pool when he called, so I gave him a quick answer. We Dakotas follow four values, which are: courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity. When people are hired, they give their word (honesty), they will be at work on time everyday (perseverance), and they also agree to follow the job description presented to them at the time of their hiring (honesty). If they break their word, then they are liars and thieves (putting 40 hours on their timesheet without actually having worked 40 hours).
My friend's phone call reminded me about a tribal worker who accused his supervisor of acting like a "White Man" because the supervisor tried to hold the worker accountable. The worker said something to the effect, "You follow me around like a "White Man."
A couple of months ago, I ran into an old acquaintance who was really impressed with my Introduction to Ethical Issues on Indian Reservations course. He told me, he had recently switched jobs, and was having a hard time putting up with his staff's poor work habits; missing work, coming in late, taking smoke breaks every hour, spending a lot of time visiting with one another, etc. Finally, in exasperation, he told them, "I am reducing your hours from 40 hours per week to 20 hours per week!" They also accused him of acting like a "White Man."
This individual also teaches part-time at the local tribal college, where he said he runs into the same circumstances. When he has tried to hold students accountable, he has been accused of acting like a "White Man." One day in class, he told his students, "Today, I am going to be a White Man, so I want you to hand in your assignments, pay attention, and no, I am not loaning anyone money or giving anyone a ride." We both had a good laugh when he finished telling me that story.
It is really unfortunate that some tribal workers try to use their "Indianness" as an excuse to get out of work and/or miss work. Our ancestors were some of the hardest working people of all time, who never shirked their responsibility. They lived and prospered by religiously following the values of courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity. The men never complained when they had to go out and hunt; neither did they complain when it was their turn to guard the camp or go to war. Likewise, the women never complained when the tipis had to come down to move to the next camping site, nor did they hesitate when it was time to haul water and pick berries.
All employers want is for their workers to come to work on time every day, come to work every day, and actually work while there are there. Supervisors are not "White Men" simply because they hold tribal workers accountable to this very common standard. One very important fact all tribal workers need to keep in mind is this, every day they are not at work it means another worker has to do their work. Every day they miss work, their fellow tribal members do not receive needed services, or the work does not get done, which in turn creates more problems. If the standard of living is going to improve on tribal nations, then the work habits of its workers have to improve.
Closing note: I have since talked to my friend who called me a couple of weeks ago. I explained to him how our courses will help him (and other tribal workers) deal with what I call tough reservation work issues. Long story short, he eagerly agreed to sign up for our next course, Managers and Traditional Native American Values.
As many of you know, my son left us to go to the Spirit World several years ago, when he was seventeen years old. Over the years, I have met many parents who wanted to talk about losing a child of their own.
This is a response to one of those parents, but it is also directed at anyone who has lost a child. Please do not take offense to anything I have to say. I am simply being honest about how I view the grieving process, and our (my) relationship with the Spirit World.
Before I start, let me recommend a wonderful book for you to read. It is called Hello From Heaven. It is a very good book for those of us who lost a child. The stories in it are amazing. I was told about this book by a woman I met in DC when I went there to read grants shortly after Joel went to the Spirit World. The woman had lost her 21-year-old son and had stumbled upon this book. When she found out I recently lost my son, she recommended the book to me. She also told me she met with other parents who lost their son, and at the end of one of the meetings one of the men came up to her and asked her to describe her son again -- so she did.
"Well he was sitting over there during the whole meeting," the man told her pointing at a chair. Another interesting thing she told me was this; although she had never physically seen or touched her son after he died in a car accident, she "sensed" he was in a small college town and was very happy. I believed her, and here is why, which is also my answer to your questions:
I believe any Deity (Wakan Tonka to us) who has the power to create the the entire universe has the power/compassion to give each of us our own reality. This is why I believed the lady when she told me she sensed her son was in a small college town. That is why I believe my Joel is able to "communicate" with me through dreams, or a hawk flying in front of my car when I am starting on a trip, or an eagle circling over head when ever I am thinking of him, or numerous other signs. Wakan Tonka gives us our reality (within reason of course).
I also believe and accept that there is no physical travel between this world and the Spirit World for some reason that we humans were not meant to know. The two worlds will never intermingle. And that is okay with me, because I know; some day I will travel to the Spirit World and will be reunited with Joel and all my relatives. As much as I love my son, I am not in a hurry to leave this world, and my other sons and daughter, anytime soon.
I also believe any communication with the Spirit World originates with the Creator, not with us. For reasons we are not meant to know, he chooses who, when, and in what form this communication will happen. As you are aware, those communications are never enough for those of us who lost a child.
I attended a ceremony where the spiritual leader told me to be alert because Joel would give me signs that he is with me. Many "strange" happenings took place after that visit, which I interpret are signs from Joel. You may have had visits from your son, but you were not alert to those visits. One of the reasons you may have missed visits from your son is because... perhaps you are looking for a mortal being. I know you and I would like nothing better than to hold and talk to our sons. However, I have accepted I have no control over the Spirit World. I have to take what the Creator gives me in regards to "visits" from my son. And I am thankful he is giving me many signs that lets me know Joel is "with me".
Although I cannot control what happens in the Spirit World, I have a firm belief Wakan Tonka will take pity on me if I ask him to show me a sign from Joel. And he has. I have had special dreams, which I know are about Joel, and I see Joel through his little brother's actions and the actions of my grandchildren.
I do know if you study our language you will automatically absorb some of our philosophy -- one is that this world and the Spirit World are closer than the white man teaches. When you understand, you will see signs of your son all around you. It will not be the same as physically holding him or talking with him, but it will be comforting all the same.
I know you miss your son terribly. If at heart you are a Dakota, learning the language will help you understand our philosophies of life so much better, and I believe will lead to some kind of peace with your son's death. I know this because when Joel died, I found myself turning to our traditional beliefs as opposed to turning to the Christian belief. Our beliefs seem to offer me much more comfort and understanding of the Spirit World.
In closing, use your gift from the Creator to learn our ways and use that knowledge to understand and accept there is a barrier between this world and the Spirit World that no one will cross until death. Also use your gift to help your other children to understand their rich heritage that our people have. An understanding of our Dakota ways will help you in many, many ways.
Pidomiya Koda (Thank you my friend)
Back then, it was all about getting even. If someone crossed you or your relative, you would wait for as long as it took to get even. I remember advising my nephew, who had just moved here from New Mexico, "Never forgive and never forget, Vince." A couple of years later, his mom told me that Vince had repeated what I told him, "Uncle Hobo said never to forgive or forget mom...." I was proud when I heard that. Little did I realize I was passing down my hate to the next generation.
It took me many years of sobriety to realize how harmful vendettas are and how they can stand in the way of making the reservation a better place to live. I recall my first year teaching third grade, and how hard I had to work to suppress my feelings of dislike toward a child whose family I was feuding with. I managed to overcome those feelings, and I worked hard to try to get along with other families that I did not previously get along with. I realized I was a teacher and was held to a higher standard.
A vendetta basically means formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. As I pointed out, this describes the action of families when I was young. Today, vendetta has taken on a whole new meaning. Today, a vendetta usually begins when a group of individuals, not necessarily related by blood, are drawn together, usually by some unethical reason, to get even with an individual who they perceive has done them wrong. Below are two instances where this modern type of vendetta has caused two families enormous personal harm. Believe me, having been on the receiving end of these types of vendettas throughout the years, I can tell you.... If you are not a courageous person, these vendettas will make you quit your job or resign from your position as a board member or committee member.
The first one is fairly simple. Two young, smart, educated tribal members, who happen to be siblings, cannot get a job on their home reservation because the powers-that-be do not like their parents. These two young tribal members are extremely hard working, talented, well grounded individuals. They are the type of individuals/workers that reservations need badly to provide quality service to tribal members. The other example involves a tribal program director who was fired from his/her job by the incoming chairperson due to something that had happened years before and had nothing to do with the tribe. Without a job, this talented individual moved off the reservation and found a job elsewhere. The story does not end there. The daughter of the unfairly fired program director, who was an honor student, vowed never to return to the reservation once she graduated from high school. Unfortunately for that reservation, the daughter kept her word. She is now a college educated, highly respected, competent professional working on a different reservation.
Vendettas are often part of society's norm, however, the need to plainly "get even" with someone is often caused by low self-esteem, which I will explain in my next blog.
Using sick leave for anything other then because you are really sick is dishonest. Dishonesty is also known as lying. My friend and business associate, Annmaria, always says, "if you are going to go lie about one thing, you will probably lie about another." Following Ann's logic, we can predict that a person who lies about sick leave will probably lie about other aspects of his/her job as well. Will he/she lie about the hours at work? Will he/she lie about the reasons he/she was late or missed work?
Without realizing it, Ann came to the same conclusion about lying our Dakota ancestors came to - lying is evil and tends to spread. Our Dakota ancestors believed so firmly that lying was evil, they put a liar to death so the evil would not spread further. Furthermore, our ancestors knew that "lying" was not just confined to telling a fib to your friends. It had to do with the way you lived your life. A lie here, a lie there ... dishonesty in one situation leads to dishonesty in another. Pretty soon your whole life is nothing but one big lie.
A Dr Scott Peck wrote a book titled, People of the Lie: Hope for Healing Human Evil. Dr. Peck's belief and our ancestors' belief was basically the same. Lying is evil, and the person who tells lies needs to be dealt with in a firm manner to protect the rest of society. Like our ancestors, Dr. Peck realized lying was more than fibbing once in a while. He said everything you do, from your job to you relationships, to raising your children, requires honesty. If you were dishonest in one of these areas, the evil would spread throughout all the other areas of your life.
My point is, next time you lie about using sick leave, remember, it can be an indicator that something is seriously wrong with your honesty, and/or life.
Let's take the tribal workers first. Tribal members from different reservations are all aware of "ghost workers" (ghost workers are those tribal members who officially have a job, but no one ever sees them at work - or hardly ever sees them.). The three most common types of ghost workers are: (a) workers who have a "tribal official" sign off on their timesheet, regardless if they show up for work or not; (b) workers who simply do not ever show up for work, but somehow manage to get paid regardless; and (c) workers whose supervisor is a relative, and they show up at work periodically.
Let's do the math and see just how much harm missing one day a week can cause:
➢ 8 hours away per week x 52 weeks per year = 416 hours a year away from work.
➢ 416 hours away from work / 8 hours per day = 53.2 days a year gone from work.
➢ 416 hours away from work / 40 hours in a week = 10 weeks per year absent.
This leads to the question, how can a person miss 10 weeks per year, and still say he/she is carrying out their job duties? It is no wonder that tribal members do not receive the full benefits from dollars poured into the reservations.
Tribal workers are not the only ones who suffer from attendance problems. Tribal schools have trouble making Adequate Yearly Progress due to excessive student absenteeism. Back when I was a third grade teacher, a parent came up to me and asked me why her child's academic performance was below grade average. It was the beginning of the school year, and the cumulative records were still fresh in my mind, her child in particular. Her child had missed a total of sixty days by the time he/she had entered third grade (my classroom). I explained to the parent how absenteeism negatively impacted academic achievement and then said, "If I can have your child in my classroom for the 60 days he/she missed, your child will not only be at grade level, but beyond." The worst example of student absenteeism that I am aware of is two students who missed over 700 days by the time they reached the 7th grade. Think about it for a while - missing 700 days of schools. Why would a parent allow that to happen? Why would a student allow that to happen? Why would a teacher allow that to happen? Why would a school administrator allow that to happen? Why would a school board allow that to happen? Why would Tribal Social Services allow that to happen? Why would the Tribal Court allow that to happen? Finally, why would the Tribal Council allow that to happen?
How is the attendance issue affecting the reservations? We all we know the statistics: 50% or more unemployment, totally inadequate housing, low education levels, low self-esteem, suicides, etc., etc. In my opinion, these problems are directly related to our absenteeism at school and at work. If we had the honesty to admit that attendance is a serious issue, had the courage to take steps to improve it, then had the perseverance to stand against those who would undermine our efforts to improve it, and if we would be generous by praising and rewarding those tribal workers who came to work everyday, and students who had perfect attendance, our children's future would be so much brighter.
We successfully completed testing the first course in our Tribal Leaders Institute, Introduction to Ethical Issues on Indian Reservations. We had over 100 tribal members participate in live presentations of the course, and over 200 tribal members participated in taking the on-line version. I also traveled to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation at the request of a BIA Line Officer to conduct a presentation for administrators and board members from six schools located on two Indian Reservations. I then traveled to a conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and did a live presentation for 38 conference attendees.
I always start my workshops with this statement: "Every single one of us, including myself, could benefit from an ethics course. Ethics in the work place is an on-going issue. Every day we are involved in circumstances that test our ethics. I have presented this course many times, and never fail to learn more about ethical behavior each time I present it."
The feedback we received about the content of the course from the participants was overwhelmingly positive:
➢ At the end of the Sioux Falls presentation, one participant came up to me and said: "Wow! I will say it again, wow!" He went on to say how glad he was that someone was finally addressing the issue of work ethics on Indian Reservations. He told me that when he was hired as a director of a tribal program, he soon became exasperated with the work ethics of his workers. One day, he informed them he was going to reduce their work hours to 20 hours per week.
➢ A participant who took the on-line version emailed me his comments regarding the course: "Hey Dr. Longie, [I] finished your ethics course. I enjoyed it. I read a little here and there throughout the week when I could and I think it took me about six hours to finish. I made sure and read all the "homework" so I think that's why it took my a little longer than [usual]. That was one of the things I enjoyed most about the course was the "supplemental literature" that you provided links to, including your own thoughts and writing, pretty cool. I enjoyed the whole course, but I particularly liked the part on self-awareness/self honesty with the literature from Daniel Goleman and his view on "emotional intelligence." This section of the course made me want to read more literature written by the author.
I do have to be honest and admit our completion rate for the on-line version was not very good at first for which we will take some of the responsibility. Some of the participants had trouble navigating the course due to poor course design. Their feedback was invaluable, and we redesigned the course making it much easier to navigate. On the other hand, some of the early participants persevered and did finish the course.
I am pleased to report three courageous tribal members: Bev Greywater, Spirit Lake Head Start Director; June Gourd, Spirit Lake Chief Judge; and Rosy Davis, BIA Line Officer, who have stepped up and hired me to present the Introduction to Ethical Issues on Indian Reservations workshop to their staff.
- I trained the Spirit Lake Head Start, 10-month staff, on Friday, May 29, 2009 at Cankdeska Cikana Community College, and will train the 12-month staff on July 17, 2009 also at Cankdeska Cikana Community College.
- I am scheduled to train June Gourd and her tribal court staff on June 8, 2009 at Cankdeska Cikana Community College.
- I am working out the details of when and where I will train the personnel under Rosy Davis's supervision.
With the growing interest in our Tribal Leaders Institute, I plan to work as quickly as possible to finish our next course, Managers and Traditional Native American Values; hopefully, I will have it finished within the next couple of weeks, and have it ready for testing by July 1, 2009.
In closing, there was a common viewpoint among all the participants who attended the last live session. I always inform them at the beginning of the course, they should change their own work place behavior first before they accuse other tribal workers of unethical behavior. However, at the end of the course, many of them came up to me and said, "Our tribal council should take this course." If there are any tribal council members out there who are reading this newsletter and want make to make a good impression on your tribal members, as well as learning good work place ethics, give me a call and we will arrange a training session. I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you do.
Thursday, I received a phone call informing me I was to be the graduation speaker today (Sunday). "Wow! This is short notice," I said to the person who called me with the news. "I'm sure you will think of something," she replied. Well, I had a busy weekend, so I never really had time to sit down and type up a speech. Yesterday, I told a couple of individuals, one who was my ex-wife, Leona, "I am going to have to wing it." "Well you like to talk, so you shouldn't have any trouble," Leona told me, and they all had a good laugh.
This morning (Sunday), I still had not started my speech because I had not yet decided on what to say. As I was getting ready to jump in the shower for my "monthly" shower, my son, Marshall, was leaving to go to his mother's house to put up a tent for one of the graduates who happened to be his half-brother. He was gone for a couple of seconds when he came back in cussing, "I left my car door [unlocked] and someone ripped off my stereo, again," he said. This is the second time he had his stereo stolen from his car, and I wanted to remind him about all the times I told him to lock his car, but I bit my tongue. After all, he was the victim, and it made no sense to blame him.
The fact that someone came into our yard and stole a stereo from my son's car reminded me about the research I have been conducting on the customs of our ancestors and how they would never steal from a fellow tribal member. Truth is, I was amazed how ethical they were. George Catlin, a world famous artist who lived among forty-eight Native American tribes in the mid-1800s, said this about our ancestors.
· I love a people who have always made me feel welcome to the best they had.
· I love a people who are honest without laws, who have no jails and no poorhouses.
· I love a people who keep the commandments without ever having read them or heard them preached from the pulpit.
· I love a people who never swear, who never take the name of God in vain.
· I love a people who love their neighbor as they love themselves.
· I love a people who worship God without a bible, for I believe that God loves them also.
· I love a people whose religion is all the same, and who are free from religious animosity.
· I love a people who have never raised a hand against me, or stole my property, where there was no law to punish them for either.
· I love a people who have never fought a battle with white men, except on their own ground.
· I love and don't fear mankind where God has made and left them, for there they are children.
· I love a people who live and keep what is their own without locks and keys.
· I love a people who do the best they can.
· And oh, how I love a people who don't live for the love of money.
George Catlin was not the only European who was impressed by ethical behavior of our ancestors. The majority of the first white men who encountered our ancestors had nothing but good words to say to describe their character.
Why were our ancestors such virtuous people? I can't speak for other tribes, but I do know our Dakota ancestors religiously followed the traditional values of courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity throughout every aspect of their lives. Living in a society with no written laws, with no locks, where everyone depended on each other, they had to develop a society that followed ethical values very closely. As a result, our ancestors were very courageous, they were extremely honest, they persevered in the face of enormous hardships, and yet they were extremely generous. Due to religiously following these values, the society they lived in did not need any written laws, did not need policemen, as we know them today, or punishments as we have today.
What happened to us that we no longer practice these four values? Here's what happened... When a free-roaming freedom-loving people such as our ancestors are defeated militarily, and placed in the confines of a small space like a reservation, they lose much of who they are. We lost our customs and culture that kept peace and harmony in tribal villages. Alcoholism and other social ills have created a dysfunctional atmosphere that plagues us to this day. Sadly, our ancestors' values of courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity have been forgotten.
I will be the first to admit, I did not follow these values throughout most of my life. During the course of my life, I have committed many cowardly and unethical acts. However, for the past several years, I have put a lot of time into studying how our ancestors lived. The more I learn about our traditional Dakota values of courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity, the more I strive to follow them. By trying to follow these four values, I find that I am a much happier, more contented, person.
I want to close with this message to our graduates; should you [2009 graduates] decide to incorporate our Dakota values of courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity into your daily lives, you will become much more responsible adults. For without these values, you will be a mediocre worker, a mediocre supervisor or administrator, or a mediocre leader. If do not have the courage to speak up and do what is right, you will always be frustrated and unhappy. You will be known as a cowardly person who never keeps your word and people will know they cannot depend upon you. If you are known as a dishonest person, people will not trust you; even your families and relatives will be cautious around you. They will not give you any major responsibilities that may require good character. If you do not have the perseverance to find and keep a job, you will have a hard time supporting your family. Our ancestors believed so strongly in honesty that liars were put to death, and people who stole from others were ostracized for the rest of their lives. By incorporating our traditional values: courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity, into your daily life, you will live happy contented successful respected lives.
I have served on various boards and committees over the past 20 years or so. I remember attending my first meeting as a tribal college board of regents' member back in 1987. I didn't have a clue what to do or what was expected from me. I asked a long time board member if there was "anything" which would help me understand my role better. His reply was something to the effect, "Experience! The more meetings you attend, the more you will learn what to do."
Governing boards and committees are still fairly "new" to Indian Country. Our tribal college was founded in 1974, and by the time I was appointed to its board in 1987, board members' roles and responsibilities were still largely a mystery. I ran for the public school board in 1990, and although that board had been in existence since the mid-eighties, looking back, I realize that board member roles and responsibilities were still not clearly defined. The tribal school board was founded in 1987, which makes that board only 22 years old.
As a result of this inexperience, tribal boards have taken unethical and in some cases comical action such as, hiring relatives, excessive travel, ignoring due process, meeting in the morning, adjourning, and meeting again in the afternoon so as to receive two stipends... etc., etc. These antics have given tribal boards their shady and sometimes comical reputation.
Having served on boards for over 20 years, I have seen many board members come and go. While a few of them are outright crooks, the majority of them are sincere in their desire to help whatever particular organization whose board they are serving. Many new board members are committed to "change the way things are done." While their intentions may be noble, many new board members do not understand their roles and responsibilities. As a result of their "commitment" to "change the way thing are done," they often cause more harm then good.
Some examples of a new board member's commitment to make things better are: get rid of "incompetent" employees, change job descriptions of key employees, require more reporting, stop or reduce travel, and stop or reduce board stipends, to name a few.
Let's use a new board member's commitment to reduce or eliminate board travel as one example of good intentions gone badly. Is their intention to reduce travel and eliminate board travel truly commitment? Is it ignorance? ... or is it politics?
We all know tribal boards are notorious for taking too many trips and paying themselves excessively. This has given new board members the impression that all board travel and any amount of travel is unethical. Is it?
Over the year, mainly due to the training I have attended, I have come to realize there is much more in being a good board member then not traveling or refusing stipends. First, I believe it is fair to compensate good board members with a stipend and not all board members abuse travel. Let me explain: Not all board members abuse travel. When I travel for a board, I make sure I attend the training because I find board training very useful, unlike some board members who travel but never attend the training; or, if they do attend the training they do not pay attention to the information being presented. I agree these board members should not travel. But punish them, not me, for their behavior. In addition, because I actually attend the training and pay attention to what is being presented, the training helps me become a better board member, mainly by helping me understand my role as board member. Therefore, when a new board member proposes to eliminate all travel, I feel I am unfairly grouped with those board members who abuse travel.
Second, I believe compensation for my time attending board meetings is also fair. Why? Because, I spend time preparing for the meetings. I read my packet thoroughly. I call the administration if I have any questions not related to items on the agenda; and I pay attention at the meetings, thereby becoming a better board member. Due to my knowledge of what a board member's roles and responsibilities are (mainly because of the trainings I have attended over the years), I do not waste time by asking questions that are not related to any item on the agenda. Because I learned Robert's Rules of Order, I know when to speak and how long to speak. My knowledge is valuable to the school and to the community that elected me. Hence I have no problem receiving a stipend.
Let me close with this: a board member's most valuable tool is trust. They should trust their administrators and fellow board members unless they are given a valid (not gossip) reason to do otherwise. If they do not trust the administration and other board members, then they need to discuss the reasons for this mistrust with them, the board. Trust is similar to (self) honesty. When board members come to a meeting with an ulterior motive (mistrust), they are basically being dishonest with other board members. This dishonesty usually leads to disrespectful treatment of employees and fellow board members, and unfounded accusations. We have lost many good competent employees and good board members have quit or resigned because of this dishonest behavior. It is no wonder our schools are in the shape they are in.
I apologize to my readers for not blogging the last couple of weeks. As some of you may be aware, my tribe, Spirit Lake Nation, will vote on whether or not UND should be allowed to keep using the Fighting Sioux Nickname and Logo. I (we) anti-logo people, as the non-Indians call us (another label), have been holding rallies, passing out posters, and passing out other material in an effort to convince tribal members to vote no on the nickname. It was a tough two weeks. Fortunately we have many friends and supporters outside Indian Country. Below is my email thanking them for their help and a few responses.
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Hi Everyone,
We will conduct one more rally today. It will be held at the Elderly Center in the St. Michael's district at one o'clock. Then I am going to Grand Forks to meet my friend Carol Davis for supper and try to relax.
The last couple of weeks have been hectic and stressful. I never imagined myself as one to be leading the opposition to the nickname here on Spirit Lake. On the other hand, as very few of you are aware, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer several months ago. Recently the doctor told me I have five (give or take a few) years to live. So this issue has become extremely important to me. Prior to the news about my cancer, I was content to wait and see what would happen with this logo issue. Now I want to see it resolved as soon as possible. I do not want my grandchildren to attend UND and have to put up with the constant undercurrent of racism that always accompanies the use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. Therefore, if we lose, it will only be a matter of time before we bring the issue up again. Still, I need to get back to running my business. I am way behind in my work and other commitments.
I sincerely thank everyone on this list-serve for your support over the years, and especially for your help in the last couple of months. Your assistance in ideas and resources really helped out. I want to offer a special thanks to the UND students and others who came to our rallies. A very special thank you, Amy Phillips, for courageously conducting your presentation at our rally knowing full well the media would splash your involvement all over the papers.
An elder once told me, "You don't pray for victory over your opponent, you pray for courage to put up a good fight." I believe we have done that.
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Dear Erich Longie,
I want to say that I appreciate your courage and compassion for the betterment of society. I am a student at UND - Sierra Abe (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) majoring in psychology and health policy, minor in nonprofit leadership. Your letter touched me and I want to say that I am thinking of you and that I will pray for your wellness. You have been working hard for many things I know. We all benefit from your efforts.
I may not know you, you probably do not know me, but I look up to you and am grateful that there is someone out there like you. With your leadership on these important issues, I am able to see that maybe I can make a difference too. You inspire me.
With great respect,
Sierra Abe
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Erich -- the good fight has been and is still being waged and you are a principled and indefatigable leader! This fight WILL be won, and I'm honored to be a part of it. I also believe--strongly--that the strength of conviction and willpower you have shown in this fight will serve you well in ensuring a long and rich life (i.e., MUCH longer than five years!)
with profound respect, Amy
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THANK YOU!! Dr. Eric Longie!!!!
Many Blessing!!! Frank Sage
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Erich--
My thoughts are with you. And thanks for all your help.
Cliff
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Thank YOU! Marcia
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Fine words Erich! You certainly did put up a good fight and you continue to be one of my favorite Indians -- Monique
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Eric--my prayers are with for healing and thank you for all your great efforts!!!- lisa lone fight
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And a very hearty thank you to you, Erich for all your hard work and dedication to this effort.
Tom Disselhorst
Attorney
There are over 10 tribal members competing for each position. This is the most candidates running for a position that I can recall. It is a good thing. I take it as a sign that more and more people want to become involved in the governing process here on the reservations.
All too often, we tribal members are quick to blame tribal councilmen when something goes wrong. We forget that we are the ones who elect individuals into these positions. Therefore, any criticism of them is actually a criticism of us.
In the next couple of weeks, I hope to be visited by candidates vying for Fort Totten District (my district) and the Secretary/Treasurer positions. My vote will definitely be influenced by a visit from the candidates, and the conversations I have with them.
Key words I will be listening for from the candidates are: accountability, separation-of-powers, due process, etc., etc. I will be evaluating them as to whether or not they have the character: courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity, to follow through with their campaign "promises".
Back to our responsibility as voters, I was having a conversation with a close acquaintance the other day as to whom we should vote for. I listened in amazement to this individual as he/she ran through a list of "qualifications" this person wanted the "best" candidate to have. The qualifications were basically: dishonesty, cowardice, corruption, etc. Finally, I asked this individual, "Are you saying you will only vote for a person who legalizes drug abuse?" Naturally, the person's response was no. But that was not an honest answer. This individual did not want a person elected who would promote "law and order" on the reservation. A person with real courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity would be the last person my acquaintance wanted to see elected.
Say the type of individual my close acquaintance want does get elected. My acquaintance then would be the first person to criticize this person when he/she governs in a dysfunctional manner.
It is up to us voters to elect a person who has REAL courage, honesty, perseverance, and generosity to lead us for the next four years.
