Look at Bright Side of Indian Country, USA

Look at Bright Side of Indian Country, USA

By

Terrance H. Booth, Sr. – Tsimshian

 Most times a document or article is written about Alaska Native or Native Americans thearticles primarily focuses on the sad state of tribal economies and not about their tribal successes.  When in reality the tribes by simply buying from among themselves can greatly improve their tribal economies.   A recent study by Terry College of Business, University of Georgia study points out by the year 2015 the Native American Buying power will have reached $90.3 Billion Dollars. [1]  Tribal businesses that are being successful simply have addressed stopping some of the “economic leakages” that exist upon most Indian Reservations across all of Indian Country.  The successful Native Businesses are taking full advantage by capturing these” economic leakages” and some making huge profits to a point the Native Companies now among the Fortune 500 Companies.

 If an economic study was done on every tribal reservation one would readily see that there is no grocery stores, malls, gas stations, no tribal utility companies, no tribal printing company, no clothing store, no bakery, no beauty salon, no barber shop, no restaurants, no office supply store and one would have to go off tribal lands to purchase their goods and services. This is the ingredient business factor making Native American Businesses successful for they know what their Indian Reservations are lacking and target their own people to make them prosper.

If one looks at federal government policies one of the reasons why Indian Country from the first President have faced many an adverse legislation or polices that directly hindered and even moving tribes to other parts of this country far away from their aboriginal tribal domain.  To this present day because of all the governmental legislation and the unfavorable policies that instead of helping tribes with their tribal economies attempting to change their life completely like forced assimilation taking away Native children from their families and family settings.   In book, titled, “Great Documents in American Indian History, edited by Wayne Moquion with Charles Van Doren, they write, in their introduction, “if one is searching for evidence of moral bankruptcy and the failure of American ideals, the study of Indian-white dealings is the place to find it.” [2]

Within greater society setting and being the only race in all of America that is governed by the Office of the President and Congress with volumes of congressional legislation, Indian Policies and many Executive Orders by the Office of the President.  Yet under federal government rule poverty hardly gets reduce when the US Census is taken we still have high unemployment numbers ranging as high as 80%.  One would think by now after having 44 presidents all of the Alaska Native and Native American Tribes with be up to parity in every field like health, jobs, education and higher education, technology advancements, scientific advancements; one would think in the year 2011 we would see our own Alaska Native or Native American Doctors, professionals, Native Scientists, Masters degreed Native Professionals in any field of employment.    It is a rarity to see an Alaska Native or Native American doctors, scientist, and Native professionals.  We know great efforts are being made to correct our sadden state of all of Indian Country, USA.

Congress needs their researchers to dig out all of the Congressional Investigations to compare what happen to Indian Country, USA under the federal government, and look at the status of Indian Country, USA.  The Congressional researchers will find the sad state of punishing Alaska Native and Native Americans for simply being ourselves as Native people.  “Senate report 91-501, Indian Education: A National Tragedy-A National Challenge, documents this fact very clearly in the critical area of education.  In the heart of this report, we find:

 “Condemned for his language and his culture, berated because his values aren’t those of his teacher, treated demeaning, simply because he is Indian the Indian student begins himself if he really is inferior.  He becomes the object of a self-fulfilling prophecy which says “Indians are no good.”

Further on, we find these words:

“Substantial evidence indicates that the question of identity is uppermost in the minds of Indians and that feeling of alienation, anxiety and inadequacy are problems with which they are trying to cope.” [3]

We in Indian Country, USA have to keep vigilant watch on our Congressional delegates and across Indian Country, USA we not only watch our elected officials we participate with Presidential political appointees that are given scrutiny by the US Senate is where tribal leaders express their yah or nay to these political appointees and have made their remarks fully known when it comes to tribal sovereignty.  Our National Congress of American Indians keeps us abreast with the goings on of Congress and the Office of the President on any legislation or policy or Executive Orders of the President. 

Reading Forbes recent article by John Koppisch, “Why are Indian Reservations so Poor?  A Look at the Bottom 1%; if this Forbes writer would see the track record of the federal government from the first president he would readily see why the 1% of America is so poor.  We Natives the First People of this Country America are taking great strides in progressively reducing poverty from our midst.  Our Tribal relatives in Canada are reaching out to China and coming away with millions of dollars for tribal projects.  They now have embarked upon China and many opportunities were fulfilled. 

Perhaps we Natives of Indian Country, USA should follow the example of our Native relatives of Canada and seek out Chinese investors, joint ventures and partnerships for our tribal resources.  The poor track record of the federal government has been one of the great hindrances to our moving forward with even an attempt to change the way we live and forced way of life which we still struggle with on a daily basis.  Concerning land several tribes have set aside lands for commercial or industrial development all with several tax incentives. 

Many years ago the Mississippi Choctaw started to build up their tribal economy by formation of several businesses by partnering with major corporations.  Along with doing tribal economic development Corporate America needs to know that there are many tax incentives in working with Alaska Native and Native Americans.  Yet we in Indian Country, USA see Corporate American going to foreign countries to outsource some of the work that can be done here at home among the Tribes that have designated lands for commercial or industrial development.  Microsoft  CEO even requested for foreigners to come over and be allowed to work in USA when among Alaska Native and Native American students there is a growing number of engineers and scientist.  Several Tribes have Tribal Colleges for tribal professional development; an Alaska Native Corporation even built an exclusive all Native Dormitory to entice their Alaska Native Students to remain in college. 

There are pockets of successes across Indian Country, USA and there is in place the Native American Bank owned and operated by American Indians.  Economic Development policies have been implement to entice Tribes for implementation of more jobs, new Native Businesses and Alaska Native and Native American businesses is among the fastest growing minority in creating new businesses all across Indian Country, USA. 

 “As National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month draws to a close, attention is being focused on the increasing role American Indians and Alaska Natives play in the country's economy. Businesses owned by this group grew in a recent five-year period and number more than 237,000, generating $34.5 billion in annual revenue. The largest number of firms owned by American Indians and Alaska natives -- nearly 46,000 -- is in California, while the top cities are New York, Los Angeles, and Gallup, New Mexico. Nearly a third of these businesses are involved in construction, repair, maintenance and personal services.”  [4]  As one can see Alaska Native and Native Americans are working their own way out of poverty. 

If we look at the natural resources of Indian Country, USA we have corporates come in lease the land and small amount of profits is given to the Natives.  Or in fisheries this writer was in a well-known grocery store chain and saw Wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon for one fillet of the salmon was selling for $28 dollars and last year to the fisherman the fisherman sold the Sockeye Salmon for $9 dollars per pound.  So who is making money off of our raw products?   This writer is on the path to have Natives of Southeast Alaska and Coastal Tribes of British Columbia gain fuller control of all their fisheries.  As it is, the Natives do have harvesting and processing and no control of marketing or sales.  The buyers of Native Seafood reap the benefits and yet the Natives are trapped with the established price by huge seafood companies.  With formation of a Native Seafood Cooperative or Alliance the Natives can gain empowerment and fully control all of their seafood fisheries.  Each tribe has a cultural tie to their seafood and it is readily noted in their art, dances, music, songs and stories.  With the cultural perspective Tribes can readily establish a Native Niche Market for they been harvesting seafood for thousands of years while the seafood companies existing among Natives are relatively new comers.  

As the Forbes writer points out congressional legislation of the past had great hindrances upon the life and existence of tribal people.  Several tribes are making their mark upon fully addressing their tribal economies and from their own tribal perspective meeting the social and economic endeavors by diversifying their tribal economies.   Some tribes have joined forces by teaming up together creating jobs, new tribal businesses, joint ventures to bring prosperity to their tribes.

 “Three Tribes join forces formation of a Tribal Economic Development Partnership:  Three Native American Tribes made history today in California, officially opening the first hotel located off-reservation in California to be owned by a coalition of tribes. Three Fires, LLC, an economic development partnership of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, both located in Southern California, celebrated the grand opening today of the new Residence Inn by Marriott Sacramento at Capitol Park, site of the California Capitol.”  [5]

 This process of joining forces can be replicated and implement by several tribes across Indian Country, USA.   One tribe may have a raw product that another tribe can value add for them and by partnership with another tribe can bring profitability to both tribes.  Hoopa Valley Tribe of Hoopa California has tribal business ordinances that promote working with outside companies to participate with tribal government and tribal lands.  Some tribes that have been successful in tribal businesses and have separated tribal business entities from tribal council businesses; but, still reported to on the progress of businesses that have formed on tribal lands.  So we Natives in Indian Country do have business models and resources to draw upon and follow and implement.  Instead of creating negativity; as posed by the Forbes writer another article needs to be written on what Alaska Native and Native American tribes and what they are doing to eliminate poverty form their midst.  Corporate American needs to have a closer look on what they need to do; not only prosper themselves,  but;  bring some of their revenues to Indian Country, USA and then there would  be no poor among Alaska Native and Native American People.