March 31, 2007

Humble but strong leadership

Great leadership, humanitarianism apparent at NIGA gatheringA highlight of the gathering was the heartening presentation of the 2007 Wendell Chino Humanitarian Award, named for the enterprising Mescalero Apache who led his tribe for more than 40 years. Given to Indian leaders who demonstrate a commitment to peace, fair governance, the advancement of intercultural understanding and ease of suffering and injustice, this year's deserving recipient was Ivan Makil, former president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, a partner with Generation Seven Strategic Partners and Native rights advocate. Makil has been a model of humble but strong leadership; his wealth of experience includes strategic planning, governmental affairs, tribal economic development and leadership training programs, all of which have contributed to prosperity among his people and partners.

Like past recipients of the humanitarian award, including former Morongo Chairman Mary Ann Andreas, Sycuan leader Danny Tucker and Tim Wapato of the Colville Confederated Tribes and first executive director of NIGA, among others, Makil expressed his gratitude by reminding us that leaders who fight for Indian causes do so at the will and expense of their own families. This sacrifice is what makes advocacy of the highest quality, at all levels possible.

“The love and respect we share as Indian people,” said Makil, “is really the foundation that will create the success we have.” Indeed, amid all of the hustle and bustle at NIGA, one could find many examples of the diverse benefits of Indian gaming: strategic partnerships between gaming and non-gaming tribes; an emerging Indigenous Language Institute that touts meaningful consultation with individual communities as their key to success; youth and elder programs that connect generations through public service; artists and craftspeople finding new paths through networking; community leaders sharing knowledge of tribal governance systems; and so on.Comment:  For more information on the event, see this press release.

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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:48 AM

    I know this isn't related to this post but I think you really got apocalypto and 300 wrong. Are you even Native American? I'm half (and half white) so I try to understand both sides and what i got from Apocalypto was the message that the Mayans were only concquered because they were already having their own internal problems otherwise they would have been able to defend themselves. I'm not saying this is the reality but that's what it seems like Mel Gibson is trying to say. As for the 300, it is based off of history and it was the european Greeks versus the non-white Persians. Are they going to make some of the Spartans non-whites? If you watch the movie there are all sorts of races on the Persian side. What about movies like Glory Road where it is dark skinned versus light skinned and it makes the light skinned look bad? I think it goes both ways and you can't really look too deeply into it and try to find messages that aren't there.

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  2. Rob11:48 AM

    You're right...it isn't related to this post. I've moved your comment to http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2007/03/300-like-apocalypto.html, where it is related. See my response there.

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