Indian Ethics - Then and now

Contrast Catlin's historical view with that of today’s non-Indian; non-Indian newspapers are quick to print stories on embezzlements, stealing, robberies, Indian on Indian violence, abuse of all kinds. Alas, the portrait of the highly ethical and moral Native American of yesteryears has been replaced by Native American leaders who have little or no moral fiber. Tribal and non-tribal members alike share this perception.

Today, we have many written laws yet we exhibit some of the most unethical behavior. We falsify time sheets, we charge personal expenses to tribal credit cards, we hire our relatives over more qualified applicants. Tribal members are the first to have a low opinon of our leaders' characters.

What has happened to us between than and now? More importantly, what can we do about it?

We will return to the our history shortly, but for now, we start with a cold, hard look at our less than ideal present, try to see what we could learn from the lessons of both traditional and contemporary wisdom, and end with an action plan for individuals and tribal organizations.