According to one tribal elder I talked to, it doesn't. "They only go to school to learn how to steal more," she said. I admit my pride was hurt when she said this. After all, I spent considerable time and money obtaining my three degrees, and to hear that it didn't make me any more qualified was disappointing. However, after thinking about it, I could see her point.
An education does not make a person more courageous, more honest, or help them preserve their dignity in the face of adversity. Education does not make a person more generous. Moreover, I know several educated tribal members who are either cowardly, dishonest, fold in the face of adversity, and/or are greedy. So I conceded the elderly person was right - to a point.
If college educated tribal members are no more ethical then tribal members who do not have a college education does that mean the tribe should place non-college educated tribal members and college educated tribal members on the same level when it comes to hiring?
This led to another question, is it also unethical to assume a leadership position that you are not qualified for, especially when the livelihood of thousands of tribal members rest on your decisions?
Most tribes today are worth millions of dollars, even hundreds of millions of dollars. They have assets ranging from casinos, industries, to huge amounts of valuable land. It takes an astute person to understand the complexities of such large organizations. Making the wrong decision, or making no decision due to not understanding the issues, could cost a tribe thousands of dollars.
Take "per cap" (per capita) payments, for example. Here on Spirit Lake, we were first exposed to per cap payments years ago when the government paid tribal members for land it "bought" many, many years ago. Then, when our casino became profitable, tribal members were given a small per cap payment every year at Christmas. When Sioux Manufacturing Corporation began to make a profit, it (the profit) was given to tribal members at Christmas. A few years ago, the tribe sold its share in a company and after considerable controversy; the profits from this sale were divided and distributed as a per capita payment to tribal members.
Now I hear the tribe has come into another huge sum of money. Of course, after years of getting per cap payments, tribal members expect another one from this money. But some people are beginning to wonder of per cap payments are the best way to use these large one-time windfalls of money. One way to avoid a controversy every time the tribe comes into a huge sum of money is to develop a strategic plan.
When I told a friend from another reservation that the people wanted another per cap, she said something to the effect, "I thought about the book, Rebuilding Native Nations: Strategies for Governance and Development, when you told me your tribe had come into lots of money. It says that one of the down falls of our tribes is that they don't have strategic plans in place. They grab at money when it comes, and they don't use it in a positive way. When a council does strategic planning and has clear goals that are created with the help of the tribe, they do not have to tell the people they can't have a per capita payment because there is a strategic plan in place. The tribal membership would have been already told how any additional money would be spent. For example, if the people told the council that they want recreation for the kids and at the top of that list is a swimming pool, they would not complain when the tribe applied the additional funds to building a swimming pool. Without a plan, the people will continue to demand money for their pockets and reservation development will be nonexistent."
My friend makes a very good point. But, how many of our tribal leaders have the know how to develop a strategic plan? So back to my question, is it also unethical to assume a leadership that you are not qualified for? I think it is. As I pointed out, tribes are very complex organizations worth millions of dollars, and an individual serving the tribe should at least have knowledge of how such an organization works, of how to develop strategic plans, of how to implement them. After all, the well being of the entire tribe will rest on their decisions. A person with a college degree, preferably a degree in business, will have a better chance to understand such an organization.
So, we have established that a college degree does not make a person more ethical, but also, that it is not ethical to assume a position of leadership you are not qualified for, so having an education helps individuals be more qualified to run our tribal affairs.
The final questions in this debate follow naturally, "How can we help our educated leaders to become more ethical, to have courage and persevere in the face of adversity? How do we help our current leaders become more ethical and more knowledgeable about the complexities of running our tribal governments?"
First off, let me say, it does not take a college degree to learn to understand how a multi-million dollar organization operates, but it helps. Even more important is a willingness to learn on the job, taking time to study all aspects of the organization and attend training on leadership and business. Even individuals with college degrees can benefit from continuing education (workshops, seminars, etc.). Then, when the time comes to make decisions, make them as honestly as you can and have the courage to stick to them.
