Academic Journal Blog M5

The video of Wilma Mankiller’s speech at Arizona State University titled Challenges Facing 21^st Century Indigenous People was inspiring. She concluded her speech with a series of statements about what it means to be an indigenous person in the 21^st century. One statement in particular seemed to summarize the purpose of this course for me.

“Being an indigenous person in the 21^st century means trusting our own thinking again, believing in ourselves, looking within our communities for solutions to problems, and not only articulating our own vision of the future, but having within our communities the skill sets and leadership ability to make those visions become a reality.”

In order for Native Americans to overcome the economic and social problems faced by many of their people, the first step is to once again trust your own thinking. Return to tribal culture, relearn the wisdom of being Indian and trust your thinking as you trust the thinking of your ancestors. Believe in yourself. Be proud to be Indian and be proud of your heritage. You are not superior to others, but also others are not superior to you. Don’t look for solutions to problems outside of your communities. The people who best understand these problems are the people living in your communities. Enlist their understanding and wisdom to collectively decide the best thing to do for your people. And finally, develop skills and leadership with your communities. You are the people most affected and you are the people who can make your visions become reality. This is surely a very powerful message for all Native Americans.