The business world of Indian country recently marked a milestone. The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development celebrated its 40th year of visionary leadership in the advancement of Native economic development. Its annual Reservation Economic Summit was a resounding success, attracting more than 2,500 participants, including Indian entrepreneurs, tribal representatives, government agencies, Native and non-Native corporate buyers and suppliers. Many good and talented minds gathered to improve the prosperity of future generations of Indian peoples.
RES 2009 offered an energetic atmosphere in which Indian self-determination and cultural fortitude were discussed with great purpose. Forging paths for modern Indian commerce requires an appreciation for respectful trade relations between nations, a message brought forth by nearly all the featured speakers. Hold steady to traditional values while fostering innovation, and success will come, they said.
“The spirit of Indian people,” said Richard Bowers Jr. of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, “has always been to look out for each other through effective and progressive leadership and governance systems, to provide the means for the health and well being of our people, and to remain strong in our cultural ways. This is who we are as Indian people, and this is who our ancestors wanted us to be.” In a time of global economic peril, this message promotes to the wider society a basis for sustainable development – provide for your people and share success with others.
To encourage partnerships and knowledge sharing, there were plenty of networking opportunities throughout. Networking is the time-tested method by which business opportunities are generated through the relationships of like-minded people. It also is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment and less money than public relations and marketing efforts. To borrow from Mr. Bowers Jr., the spirit of Indian people is to meet face-to-face and talk, saying what you mean and meaning what you say.
Faced with the legacy of Jack Abramoff, as well as witnessing the recent actions of Bernie Madoff and others on Wall Street, it has become clear that American government and business has lost its ethical center, if it ever really existed. With a growing list of successes of Indian country, it would serve us well to look at how we conduct ourselves and what we should expect of each other. Now is the time to take stock of where we are, remembering where we came from, before deciding where we want to go. We have the strength, the ideas, the smarts, and the people to accomplish whatever we want.
RES 2009 and other such gatherings are an example of what a network of Indian people can create through the exchange of ideas and referrals with fellow business leaders. If we recognize that there are ethics and ideals which our people have fought to maintain even when confronted with adversity, we can build on the ways of our ancestors and benefit the generations to follow.