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INDIGENOUS WORK AND THE WORKPLACE

I spent over thirty years working in an institution with a culturally-diverse student body. The staff? Not so much. For twenty of those years, I was the only First Nations employee and sadly, it took me three times as long to move up the so-called 'corporate ladder'. I was naive enough in the early days to think that post-secondary educational institutions were enlightened places, unfortunately not so. Still aren't in some cases.

The racial slurs that were said to my face, or implied prior to rules and equity policies would curl your hair. I have never in my life thought in terms of race, so each time it happened, it came as a surprise, and I found myself looking around before realizing that the slurs were directed at me. Even now, in my relatively advanced years, I still carry that element of surprise when it happens. I hope I never get over it, as I refuse to become hardened and prefer to educate rather than blame. In my early years? Not so much!

I was angry that my prodigious skills in leadership, administrative policy and decision-making, creative and independent thinking, ability to get the best out of people, and sheer efficiency were not recognized. Skin colour has a way of blocking the light. I eventually made it to senior management, and vowed the day I got the job, that I would never do to others what was done to me. It was time to stop the cycle of bureaucratic abuse.

I remembered a quote from former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, odd I would think of an old-monied white guy on the most important day of my life, but there it is. He said:

"We are not here merely to make a living. We are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with finer spirit of hope and achievement. We are here to enrich the world. We impoverish ourselves if we forget our errand."

Over the years, I had wished desperately that someone, anyone would recognize the fullness of my talents and liberate me from racial stereotyping. It took awhile, but eventually I realized I had to find the courage to do it myself. I did not feel very brave, I was a lone Indigenous woman in a field of non-Native sharks, who thought nothing of finding phrases like, "reserve Rita", "noble savage", "two tall totem" (a private nickname I discovered when someone inadvertently copied me on an email), funny and normal. I thought at first I had to laugh it off because I was frightened.

The last straw came in an interview for a management position. One of the faculty members, stated quite baldly that "my kind" were not hired in their department. That, I should know better than to try to rise above my station (the year was 1980). I stood up, stopped the interview and went directly to the President. All hell broke loose after that and I never again allowed myself, in the words of the great Holy Man, Hin-Mah-Too-Lah-Yahk-Kekt (Chief Joseph), "to bow my head before any conqueror."

The offending department head tried to wiggle out of what happened, but there were five other people in the room, so with great reluctance, he was forced to apologize. He was typical of the breed who lacked the courage to face up to 'not right' action which was a religion at my place of work.

Ironically, it took that debacle to finally move me to the level of management. In the end it still wasn't my skills or education, but the fear of a public scandal that motivated the promotion. (Sigh!) Nonetheless, I was able to forge some solid relationships (the President at the time, included) and my stellar work record spoke for itself. I was a valuable member of the team, but not so naive by this point, that it couldn't be ripped away at a moment's notice.

I brought my thirty staff together, and told them right up front that if the Medicine Wheel Teachings were true, then:

I expected nothing but their best, and I in turn would do the same.
We were a team, and as such we would have weekly circles in which office policies would be discussed under an aura of inclusive, equal sharing.,
Office politics were now a thing of the past for the simple reason that there is nothing more boring. They laughed.
The floor was open for suggestions, comments, baring of souls, and what happened in the circle stayed in the circle. To the best of my knowledge, once we all got used to the idea, our business did remain our business and staff felt more and more comfortable about revealing their feelings because they knew I had their back.
Rest and Contemplation were important life and business skills, and once a month, we would spend two hours in meditation and sharing.

I introduced policies and practices that allowed for effective team-building and support. The buddy system really works! Without hesitation, I hired people with high degrees of skill, and surprise, surprise knew more than I did on some things! Employees were given some measure of control on a day-to-day basis, after all, they did the work, they knew best on a variety of issues. Motivation eventually became a non-issue.

In other words, I refocused attention back on the employees and created a situation where they could choose to be a viable team member in a place of safety knowing that if they chose not to there would be no hard feelings and I would endeavour to find them a position elsewhere. It happened only once.

It was not perfect, it never can be when a disparate group of humans get together. A state of symbiosis takes hard work, trust and commitment on both sides. Generally speaking, the situation where both management and staff had a pretty-much equal say in how things were run worked superbly.

The staff were pretty over-whelmed in the beginning that there was a Manager who actually gave a damn about their lives, their work and their future goals. Interesting that no one commented or judged the fact that I was Indigenous. Such things were left to Senior Management to do!

Too much work, too little time, lack of validation by Managers adds up to high absentee rates and general ennui in performing daily tasks. Company loyalty by employees is a dream only to be wished for and is more and more a thing of the past. All the pats on the back will not heal a stressed heart. If an employee is suffering from family strife; lack of a solid economic base; single parents with kids; divorces, deaths, etc., s/he will lack focused attention and commitment. Companies would probably save millions of dollars in lost productivity due to high absenteeism if they:

Made the decision to walk the walk, rather than just talk the talk.
Did not just pay lip service to the idea that employees mattered and then did nothing to show them. It simply remains an idea, and bottom‑line issues suffer as a result.

It seems to me that we often spend more time in the workplace than we do with our own families. It behooves us, therefore, to try to create connections with one another and find mutual rhythm, balance and harmony in order to achieve personal and company goals. Duh! I'm not sure why this seems to be so revelatory to many companies. If we all co-operated we could save the damn world!

My skills as a Medicine Wheel teacher work seamlessly with my skills as a Senior Manager in a culturally diverse, unionized situation. Achieving the level of management does not mean that you forget where you came from!! Neither group should have to sell their souls to get the job done and it is no secret that contented humans encourages relationships that cross cultural, political, social and professional boundaries. Just get it done, people!

Finally, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Serenity can be found within the Storm. Wilwilaaysk, All my Relations

TO HEAL OR NOT TO HEAL, THAT IS THE QUESTION

First Nations people are at a point in history where a decision - to move forward, or not must be made. Who does it benefit that we are taking the worst of European culture and using it against ourselves. How is helping with the healing process? Do we honour ourselves as well as our Ancestors who died often tragic deaths if we remain victims?an we continue along the road of victimization, despairing at our losses?

We can no longer sit on the sidelines of our own cultures spinning our spiritual tires waiting for someone else to solve our problems. We can no longer remain static with our hands held out to the power brokers for more and more. We must stop creating toxicity within our own organizations with infighting, intimidation, power-mongering, in other words, politicking of the lowest forms. We can no longer continue along the path of reliving the suffering of our Ancestors over and over again.

The Oppressed have become the Oppressors as we continue to fight and gossip among ourselves, about losing our ‘traditional values’. Do we, as Native people, really know what we are talking about when we expound on ‘traditional’ things? Have we raised several generations of Native people on a diet of generalities and trite phrases? We were not put here to be ploughed under by the miscreant ambitions of spiritually and morally bankrupt people both inside and outside Indian country.

Each First Nations person born in the generations succeeding the first cultural genocide attempts are living with the fallout of continued pressure to assimilate into so-called mainstream Canadian culture. As a result, Native children are growing up in families bereft of the traditional teachings that sustained the tribes for thousands of years. They are grappling with the substance abuse of their grandparents and parents, often falling into the same patterns themselves because they feel helpless in the face of such despair, lack of mentorship and loving families. Subsequent generations not only carry the strain of individual anguish and attempts to heal, but as difficult as it is we also carry the responsibility of healing entire Native Nations. The despair is great and trying to find a cohesive way to heal is next to impossible – too much infighting, too much politicking on reserves as well as within urban native organizations. Into the mix comes stereotypical attitudes from the wider world that Native people are either saintly/spiritual souls or drug-addicted alcoholics. There seems to be no middle ground, and somehow out of all of this Native people have to "heal – and NOW, according to an impatient Canadian populace.!" As a sad Chippewa songs laments:

"The Sound is Fading Away - It is of Five Sounds - Freedom -

The Sound is Fading Away - It is of Five Sounds"

I believe it to be possible to combine what we have left of our Native cultures, honour our memories and allow our histories to meet and thrive with the good things that come from the interaction with other cultural histories and relationships. Firstly, however, we must take a good hard look at who we are, and, more importantly who is telling us who we are both inside and outside our communities

Never in the history of the world has a race of people been so exposed to so many people who know so little, but think they do. Never has a race of people had their culture purloined in so many ways by so many misguided souls who end up becoming more native than the Indigenous people themselves! And then to add insult upon injury, many of these same people say, “We give you money, why won’t you heal?”?

To make matters worse, within our own people there are those who choose to elevate themselves to Leadership/Elder status having not done much in the way of spiritual work - read a few books, talked to a few people - BINGO! I am a carrier of sacred knowledge. Huh? How did that happen? Teachings can be easily skewed according to the mind set of the person giving them.

Native people have been on sensory overload for seven hundred years trying to come to grips with the new religions, while still trying to hold on to whatever traditional values and spirituality we have left. This has been a bit of a losing battle as we now only have partial understanding of our cultures having lost so many generations of Native People to the horrors of Christian residential schools, Indian wars and racist laws, among other things. Therefore, it is very easy to set oneself up as a teacher of ‘things native’ because who is going to know if you are right or wrong?

Six hundred years of dramatic history, full of all the attributes that make for a best-selling adventure/romance novel without the happy ending. Take for example, The Indian Wars in the mid-1800s in the United States. Red and White opponents, dashing and gallant in their respective worlds. Images in history books of British soldiers adorned in bright red coats, white breeches and shiny black boots striding in conspicuous fashion through the woods (what were they thinking?), secure in the knowledge that their devotion to God, Queen, Country and a really good musket would secure their victory and vanquish the ‘red devils’.

On the side of the good guys are the ‘noble savages’ adorned in animal hides festooned with, you guessed it, fringe. Feathers flying in the wind as they galloped their ponies across the open-plains, whooping their steadfast belief that they could defend their way of life. Sounds like the makings of a bad Made for TV movie. In reality, the ‘Indian Wars’, were dirty, vicious and one-sided. In the United States, for example, the victories at the Rosebud and Little Big Horn Rivers in 1876 may have won the battles for some of the Plains Indians such as the Cheyenne and Nakota, but ultimately, and very soon after these victories, the war was lost. They were never again able to muster that much Native fighting power. The People were just too hungry and too divided and eventually succumbed to the inevitability of being forced onto reserves far from their ancestral homes.

To pass on traditional knowledge requires dedication to a life filled with a large dose of listening, listening, listening, mixed with another healthy dose of integrity, mixed with a healthy dollop of Ethic #1, Non-interference, topped off with huge amounts of compassion, integrity and humour. In other words, to know where I am going, requires that I know where I came from. If I am going to ‘talk it’, then I had better be ‘walking it’. Wilwilaaysk, All My Relations.

WHEN NATIVE IDENTITY IS A POSTCARD

In the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries it is becoming increasingly difficult being a member of a First Nations because so many others who are not First Nations also want to join the party. Not only are The People trying to sort themselves out, but they are also having to deal with what I call "spiritual cherry pickers", those folks unhappy in their own skins, and see greener pastures in Native Spirituality.

"Are you telling me you spent a weekend with an Elder, and now you are a pipe carrier for a tribe? Are you Native? No? How does that work? You mean to tell me that I didn’t have to spend forty years learning and living my Native culture? Damn!"

Let us talk about the identity and healing process of the Red People for a bit. Fortunately, it is in the DNA of Native people to adapt to our surrounding environment. We have done it for thousands of years. Sheer survival depended on our willingness to adapt to change. In present day realities, perhaps we have not acted as quickly as others would like, in terms of healing and reconciliation, but it certainly has not stopped others from being attracted to ‘things native’.

First Nations traditional culture and spiritual practices are routinely bought and sold for profit. In my frequent travels across Canada, one of my favourite pastimes is to drop into souvenir shops, and see the white-featured ‘Made in Japan’ Native dolls standing forlornly on dusty glass shelves beside ‘Made in Japan’ Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.) dolls. The R.C.M.P. are still standing guard, even on glass shelves in cheesy souvenir shops! If ever there was a metaphor for why we are struggling with our healing, this is it.

May I remind you that we are intelligent flesh and blood people with dreams, feelings and hopes for a wondrous future. Yet more often than not we are depicted as romantic images on postcards and calendars, to be sold as prime examples of Canada’s tolerance for racial and cultural diversity. People flock from other countries looking for the noble beast. The closest you will come in Toronto, will be to find life-sized statues of fibreglass moose on every Toronto street corner, a gift from a previous quirky Major in the late 1990s!!

How many times have I been stopped on the street, and asked, "Are you a Real Indian?" My usual response is, "Why not ask the question you really want to know the answer to, Are you a fake Indian?" The response is usually a blush, a stammer and a slinking away down the street leaving me gnashing my teeth. Do not confuse me with the ‘wannabe Indians’, "I wannbe part of your culture, because mine sucks!"

Although these misguided yet sometimes earnest souls are a source of much amusement, particularly to the Elders such as myself, many of them are very sincere and to them I tip my moccasins. However, there are others who tend to become self-proclaimed ‘Native’ experts after a weekend of Native culture, who then proceed to offer their own sweat lodges, and other sacred ceremonies for a price. I lament again, never has a culture had to put up with so much from so many for so little gain.

AH, THE SHEER ROMANCE OF IT ALL

Many people buy into the romance of Native culture. They envision tribes of saintly, spiritual Natives spread across the Plains, or along the shores of a vast, lush rainforests of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in beautiful tipis and plank houses decorated with sacred symbols.

I can see it all now. Grandfather Sun is just beginning his leisurely walk across Father Sky; another day of peaceful co-existence begins for the tribes. Grandfather Sun pauses to gaze benevolently upon this pastoral world. Warrior males, looking remarkably like bronzed Fabio’s standing nobly by, arms folded across oiled, well-muscled chests glistening in the aforementioned morning sun. They are festooned in fringe, got to have the fringe. Their women adorned in buckskin (and yet more fringe) serenely tend the fires while on their backs secured snugly into brightly decorated cradle boards chubby babies (wearing fringe of course) coo happily. Drums throb a steady beat, the voices of the Elders can be heard singing sacred songs as the young men of the tribe, gallop wildly and freely across the Plains, braids and feathers flying in the wind with not a care in the world. A truly bucolic landscape (like the Ancestors had time!!). There is a collective sigh as we all yearn for days gone by.

You’re kidding right? Who actually believes this stuff? Answer: the Europeans for one. I was on a speaking engagement in Germany some years ago and there was more than a little disappointment that my keynote was not peppered with romantic references and rhetoric. They absolutely did not want to hear about reserves, residential school, or the 1876 Indian Act, which of course, is exactly what I gave them. I do not believe in sugar-coating that which is made of bile in order to create a fantasy world of romantic dreams and illusions for others to bask in. We are talking about repeated attempts at ethnic cleansing, and one would think, of all people, the Germans would have a little empathy and understanding.

In retrospect, perhaps this is why they prefer to buy into the romance of Native culture, because the rest of it hits a little too close to home! Nonetheless, it will not be me who paints a distorted picture in order to save the delicate sensibilities of those who choose to believe another story. Next thing you know there will be a new production, "First Nations Holocaust: The Musical."

Whose idea was it to think that the lives of Native people living in a harsh, untamed land should be so fictionally idealized? Do you really think that the average Plains Cree Warrior rose on the morning of the hunt, stepped smartly into a suit of buckskin pants and long-sleeved top (with fringe), placed upon his head a full ceremonial feathered headdress that flowed to his knees, jumped aboard his eager pinto and galloped across the Plains trying to bring down a thousand pound buffalo? Imagine the scene: Noble Savage wearing all those clothes, spurring a charging pony toward hundreds of thousands of thundering buffalo, trying to fit an arrow into a bow while at the same time spitting feathers out of his mouth, and trying to keep the flying fringe from flapping in his eyes. Works only in Hollywood movies folks. Carl May, you didn’t do us any favours. The line from the movie "Moonstruck" says it best, "Get Over It!" This isn’t the way it was or is.

These stereotypical images endure however, as Native people are a saleable commodity. We make for really swell photographs. But in the cold light of day, when the lights from the cameras are off, and the tourists have gone home clutching fistfuls of postcards, and other memorabilia, Native People remain behind not quite good enough to be acknowledged as culturally valuable except for that which can be sold for profit, or which can be exploited in the name of ‘humanity’ by an indifferent government to make them look good on the world stage. The United Nations had other opinions however having condemned Canada on several occasions for its sorry record in the treatment of First Nations people.

Little of the monies gained from all this exploitation finds its way back to Native communities. Native people are, overall not a wealthy people, so it is often difficult for us to keep our history in the forefront. We are not in a financial position to build monuments and museums showing the abuses of the last six hundred years. All we know is, as a friend of mine once said, "You gotta be hip to history, or be doomed to repeat it." Amen.

For my Mother’s and Grandmother’s sakes, I do not want what happened to them to rise again. We must learn from it, acknowledge it, and then move on. Wilwilaaysk, All My Relations.

Note: Carl May was a German Writer who, in the 1920's, wrote fanciful tales about North American Indians. Generations of European children grew up on these stories. In his entire life Carl May never left Germany, and those of us on the other side of the big water have had to live with the fall out of his romantics meanderings ever since.

ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS ORAL NARRATIVE: AN OVERVIEW

Father Sky continued to turn (meaning as the years went by) more and more technology has entered the lives of humans, and my role as a keeper of sacred knowledge began to fade. It all started "back in the day" with the invention of the printing press which started the erosion of the oral narrative. The stories became words in books, but the subtle nuances, understandings and knowledge were lost. They became 'stand alone' narratives and the connections to the culture from which they originated was irretrievably severed. Moreover, the Internet has shrunk the planet even more and people can move around wherever they desire even to the most remote places with the simple click of a mouse. It seems that this encroachment into unfamiliar territory includes collecting and retelling cultural histories without a real understanding of the culture from which the narratives come. And....we no longer have the patience to sit quietly and listen to the truth.

Unfortunately, today the modern teller is seen merely as an entertainer primarily for children, who works for very little (expectation usually being no payment) and simply recites words. A far cry from the once important person who had professional status in the community.

As a chronicler of Indigenous culture, I am reclaiming the honour and professionalism as a cultural guardian charged with the responsibility of being a powerful voice of change within the modern world. This vital aspect risks being lost in the mists of time as the world speeds up and our attention spans wane.

The true role of the Narrator is to teach about our cultures cultures, morals, spirituality, laws, and social values, that govern a community. Using the Oral Narrative as the forum, knowledge, values and beliefs are passed to future generations. Wilwilaaysk, All My Relations.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER

There is much responsibility associated with Leadership; It is a dynamic process and involves many interactions. It is not simply about leading other people. It has everything to do with how a person leads herself. Thoughtful self-assessment requires equal amounts of wisdom and courage. If she does not feel confident and hides behind a facade of timidity and passive aggressive manipulation, OR if he does not believe in himself, and hides behind a facade of bullying behaviour, then effective leadership cannot exist. One's own mental, emotional, spiritual and physical house must be in order to influence and effect positive change and healing in others.

There is no room for arrogance or self-serving attitudes when dealing with the bigger picture - refusing to get back in the trenches from whence one has emerged, suggests a reluctance to go back and revisit perhaps painful personal history; this reluctance translates to a lack of sincerity in really wanting to help others through shared experiences.

There is no such thing as a 'perfect' leader, one whose traits and attributes can be cut out of a common template and applied to all organizational situations. There are many different types of leaders who are equally effective in getting things done. Generally speaking, good leaders do have some similarities:

Rather than looking at the dots that create a photograph, a good leader sees the big picture.
The three C's: Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate
The three S's: Share, Share, Share
A good leader has the willingness to adjust personal habits and attitudes in order to accomplish goals.
A good leader always, always remembers where she came from -- she willingly gets back into the trenches from time to time; she likes getting her hands dirty; yes, she answers her own telephone! - that is, she will lead by example.
A good leader deals effectively and quickly with problems by anticipation and preparation.
A good leader, is a good person because she understands her own 'soul', and the soul of the organization and the people she lives/loves/works/communicates with.
A good leader is not someone who places her own wellness and self-gratification first.
A good leader has the greater good of the people, organization and the surrounding community at the forefront of her general attitude.
Dreams and visions are part of her building process.
She sees change not as an obstacle but as an opportunity to move the process forward. All opinions are sought and valued.
She has great empathy and compassion for all those affected by decisions of change, but she does not become overwhelmed with empathy.
She knows it is simply not always about bottom lines.
A good leader has the confidence to hire people who know more than she does on various issues. She know that it is not possible to have all the answers all of the time.
A good leader knows how to get the best out of the people she is working with.

ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS,
BE HONEST ABOUT THE ANSWERS!

How well do you know yourself?
When was the last time you sat in thoughtful contemplation reviewing your life, and where you are today?
What does spiritual and emotional wellness mean to you?
Can you define what it means to "stand in your truth?"
How do you make decisions - alone, consensus, collaboration?
When was the last time you admitted that you were wrong? How did that feel?
When was the last time you admitted you did not know something?
When was the last time you took responsibility for sub-par work done by subordinates?
When was the last time you took ownership of sub-par work done by yourself?
Describe your best three communication tools.
When was the last time you took a reality/attitude check?
When was the last time you elevated, supported or assisted someone else in a significant and tangible way?
Have you ever hired or encouraged someone who knows more than you on a particular subject(s)?
Describe three behaviors and competencies you consider drawbacks to your effectiveness.
How do you define yourself: how much does your job define you? How much does your soul define you?
What are some of the values that have shaped your life to this point? What works, what could be changed?
Do you work to better yourself to be a better person or to be better than everyone else?

GENERAL GOALS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Encourage collaboration across cultural, political, social and professional boundaries.
Build stronger links between colleagues.
Emphasize the need for partnerships, team building and consensus.
Support for middle Managers - it is generally their posteriors on the line!
If the organization is a circle with the top revolving around the bottom which revolves around the middle, which revolves around the top, then much more can be accomplished because everyone knows what everyone else is doing.
Identify, evaluate and respond to the many factors that determine a successful work environment.
Create a new matrix for evolving new models of behaviour and creating dynamic new alliances among a variety of traditions and disciplines.
Understand the importance of employee diversity in the workplace.
Understand that Reflection and Contemplation are important Life and Business skills.
Review Shared leadership tenets below.

INDIGENOUS GAMING AND CASINOS: ETHICS VS REALITY

Gaming on Reserves is not new. Prior to European contact, on social occasions Native people engaged in what was to the Ancestors an innocent and fun leisure activity. The game of choice was a type of ‘bones’ game: The Mi’Kmaq for example played ‘waltes’ which called for the flipping of boned dice into a bowl; the Huron also had a derivative of the game in which they used fruit stones as dice; the Nuu-chal-nulth called it “lehal”; in this case drummers tried to confuse their opponents. The Plains Native People (i.e. Lakhota) also had a variety of gambling games, and on and on. Gambling was restricted to the winter months, for such activity was thought to make the people lazy if engaged in during the spring and summer months when everyone was busy with hunting, fishing, trapping - preparing for winter in other words.

As noted above, gambling was a pastime to be enjoyed on a very limited scale. This is not to say that some warriors did not lose their moccasins, they did. Such humiliation, however, could draw the censor of a Nation and this was to be avoided at all costs. Prior to contact, lust for money and power did not cloud the sacred teachings as it does now, for the simple reason that money was not a commodity to be used within tribal communities, that is, until the arrival of the Europeans on our land.

Given today's climate it was all rather innocent. High stakes gambling really came to fruition in the late 1980s and 1990s and not without much pain and suffering. The split in the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne and Kahnawake in the late 1980's caused what some refer to as the “Mohawk Civil War” when entrenched sides of "pro-gambling" and "anti’gambling" fought a bitter fight. Well-armed warriors denounced by the Council of Traditional Chiefs engaged in beatings, fire-bombings and shootings resulting in two Mohawk deaths at the hands of their own people. This is an extreme case, but nonetheless a terrible reality and one which the two reserves in question have yet to totally recover.

Depending on the agreement with the various provincial and federal governing bodies, the reserve receives a portion of the millions of dollars that are yielded from gambling. The term,, “Revenue Sharing” has become the catchphrase - it is darkly amusing in one sense because the word “tax” cannot be used, for the simple reason that reserves cannot be taxed - so ‘revenue sharing’ becomes the euphemism of choice.

It cannot be ignored that those reserves with Casinos, have resulted in a dramatic improvement in the standard of living, employment opportunities have increased where none existed before. It is hard to argue with that. However, one can argue that Native societies are now in the same position as white societies, wherein there is a deep chasm between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ grows ever wider with each passing day.

It is also hard to argue economic boom times when one in three Native people live well below the poverty line in this country resulting in devastating social ills - violence, substance abuse, illiteracy, poor nutrition. As tribal leaders struggle to find solutions to their problems, for some the answer has come in the form of wheels, slot machines and chips.

Keep in mind because Crown land prohibits economic development on even a small scale, gambling is one of only a very few opportunities where financial gain can be made by tribal communities. Reserves cannot bring in industry and other commercial enterprises for the simply reason that reserve land cannot be used as collateral. In other words you cannot develop what you do not own.

Casinos are built on the land for tax break purposes by non-Native organizations with the approval of the reserve’s governing bodies, Ottawa and the Province concerned. This is not to say that tribal councils are benign participants in the wealth being extracted on their lands, not at all, depending on the negotiations, economic advantages for certain reserves (i.e. Rama-Ontario) are a huge fact of life. Moreover, gambling has become a multi-faceted economic stimulant - employment, hotels, conference sites, tourist destination, in other words, Las Vegas on a smaller scale. With money, these reserves have new schools, hospitals, community centres, language programs, the arts, roads; they are even in a position to influence the political process in this country - money talks, in other words.

Some final thoughts and ironies:

• In terms of casinos and gambling, an influx of cash has jolted a rebirth of Indigenous National pride, values and teachings albeit on the backs of inevitable human misery that has accompanied this financial mother lode - addictive gambling, suicide, violence, financial ruin by those not in control of such a heady drug. Gambling like alcohol is an addictive disease and one that can occur quite quickly.
• The preservation of Indigenous identity again with a rebirth of cultural practices and languages programs paid for by a portion of gambling funds set aside for those purposes.
• With impunity, can the Casino Reserve crowd carefully hang up their Armani suits and step into a sweatlodge to commune with the spiritual nature of their Ancestors and find balance and harmony with the left hand on their hearts and the right hand spinning wheels of fortune?
• Is it fair and right that most Native communities are continuing to live lives of abject poverty when only a few are thriving? Here’s hoping that the casinos stepped forward with financial assistance when the population of KASHECHEWAN in northern Ontario was evacuated in 2005 and 2008 because of E-coli poison in their water system?

CONCLUSION
Gambling is now embedded in tribal life. Reserves are cashing in on what people love to do - gamble. In the words of a visitor to the Mystic Lake Casino owned by the Shakaopee Mdewakanton Dakota tribe,

“Walking through the doors, I'm taken aback by the glitter and noise of hundreds of slot machines and video games. The structure's circular design, our host says, symbolizes "the great circle of life, the four seasons, and the three cycles of life. Within the concentric circles of the main casino, all seven tribes of the Sioux nation are represented." I wander into the 1,100-seat Bingo Palace located at the west end of the structure and pause, disoriented by the mixture of spiritual and cultural images that frame this setting. A clergy friend from northern Minnesota had told me that the radio advertisements for Mystic Lake use a drum and the voice of an "authentic" shaman to lure customers to its gaming tables. Mysticism of a kind abounds here, but I'm not sure it is exactly what Black Elk had in mind.” (John Magnuson, February 16, 2004)

Make not mistake, As Native Teacher, I want my people to succeed. I want them to have all the advantages that the rest of society has. I know that this is an almost impossible task through regular channels as racism and intolerance continue to abound. Although I cannot deny the economic advantages to some of my brothers and sisters, getting rich through a process of legalized financial prostitution, and selling out our sacred symbols such as the drums, eagle feathers, the medicine wheel to do it was DEFINITELY NOT what Black Elk, Chief Joseph, Mourning Dove, Big Bear, Shamolla, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the other great Native leaders and mystics had in mind for their people.

Wilwilaaysk, All My Relations.

Definition of Shared Leadership for Native Cultures and ALL Organizations

Modern Native cultures are complex and difficult; it never used to be this way, but the imposition of European beliefs and values on well-established tribal societies forever changed The People. After The Change (basically 1491), how tribal cultures were treated became a patchwork quilt of racist, knee-jerk reactions by all-levels of Canada's new Government(s).

The bottom line was always divide and conquer, assimilationist policies which were founded on appalling intolerance and flat out aggressive, warrior attitudes, including the first acts of germ warfare perpetrated on a North American people. (See Facts and Fantasy). As a result tribal societies were and continue to be torn apart; over time the infighting among Native people escalated to a level that is now legendary amongst urban and reserve tribal units. The oppressed became the oppressors turning against themselves. Corruption in Native organizations is now almost commonplace.

A number of Native Organizations quite enjoy the patriarchal 'Power-Over', hierarchical mentality adopted from European attitudes, and have gotten away from the Matriarchal, shared leadership, consensual behaviour that ruled the tribes for thousands of years. In fact, most Band Councils are dominated by men reluctant to relinquish their power. In the time before The Change, Shared Leadership respected the gifts and talents of everyone, because it was felt as long as each person could use their special gifts, the tribe would hum for another day. Each person was valued, in other words, for what they could bring to the collective table of tribal civilizations.

Having said all that, it behooves all four main cultural groups (Red, Black, Yellow and White) as indicated by the photos above to get together in a manner that pleases their Ancestors in a spirit of peace, cooperation to create a better world for ourselves and future generations. There is not much time left, as the prophecies state we are in our final days. We must elevate ourselves above jealousy, hate, racial discord and disharmony. This is still time.

SHARED LEADERSHIP IS:

A representative and collaborative decision making process characterized by collective empowerment. A co-operative effort, in other words, that should involve: Reserve and Urban Native Cultures; Elders, Women, Men, Young People and Children. These groups should include: Status or non-status First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and any group or individuals committed to the elevation and promotion of Native culture, history and spirituality; all levels of Native and Canadian organizations and government infrastructures.
A commitment to the principle of respect for the opinions of all those sharing in a common purpose.
All social, political, racial groups must be treated equally, fairly. Every voice must be heard without judgment, criticism.
Each person must be given the respect it deserves to stand in the truth of what she believes.
As difficult as it is to do, "power over" mentalities, that is the desire to impose leadership, impose will on another must be set aside for the simple reason that this is not true leadership, but one frightened person, gender or group's desire to exert control for their own sake.
Autocratic or authoritarian opinion in and of itself has no place within peaceful interaction. It upsets the balance and does not allow for participative or democratic exchange.
Final decision-making authority can rest with a few, only if the body as a whole approves.
Delegation in order to allow to free creative expression only strengthens a circles, not diminishes it. This requires trust in your own ability as a leader to allow someone who perhaps knows more than you on a particular issue to run with it.
Delegation also extends to groups if you as leader, and the group member are confident they can do the task without overt supervision.
True Leadership is All about support, sharing, caring and cooperation.
Comprises structures, procedures, standards and time limits arranged to make decisions and policy in an orderly and effective manner.
True leadership is knowing when to hold, when to fold, when to give, when to receive.
Necessitates that all participants attempt to arrive at a consensus when making decisions appropriate to their responsibilities. Therefore, all participants share in the consequences of those decisions.
Neither create nor sustain groups or organizations that benefit only certain individuals or particular interest group(s), but function to achieve the elevation, missions and purposes of all of Canada's Indigenous Peoples.