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Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Colonial Gender Violence | References

Brave

Leanne Simpson has created a wide range of literature and research addressing numerous amounts of issues within Indian country. Her discussions touch on issues that are often overlooked or internalized within Indian country. She pushes the envelope and shows true fearlessness by addressing issues that are further perpetuated within the community by the community. For instance, Simpson addresses the damaging effects of heteropatriarchy within Indigenous communities by “queering resurgence”. Leanne has created dialogue that provides a voice for Native women and two-spirit/queer Indigenous folks. In Queering Resurgence: Taking on Heteropatriarchy in Indigenous Nation Building, she addresses and dissects the the topic of involving more Native women in nation-building. Simpson explains that hearing the statement “we need more women involved in nation-building” sounds like an effort to improve the community on the surface, but this statement invalidates the immense amount of work and leadership roles that Indigenous women have been involved in for centuries. Leanne fiercely addresses issues that other Indigenous leaders do not prioritize or dissect. Many Indigenous leaders focus on the battle with dismantling and decolonizing the damage solely caused by the colonizer but fail to address the toxicity that exists within these communities that are further perpetuated by community members. Leanne bravely critiques the patriarchal tendencies engrained into Native communities in efforts to further decolonize and build relations. She provides a voice for community members that are marginalized within their own communities. In many cases there are situations where colonial patriarchy and community power dynamics can be disguised as traditional and cultural practices. Simpson provides examples such as, the perpetuation of colonial gender roles, pressuring women to wear certain articles of clothing in ceremonies, the exclusion of LGBTQ2 individuals from communities and ceremony, the dominance of male-centered narratives regarding the Indigenous experience, and the lack of recognition for women and LGBTQ2’s voices, experiences, contributions and leadership. Leanne Simpson shows true bravery by fighting for the interrogation of heteropatriarchy to become a part of Native communities decolonizing project. Her speech is radical and defies some extreme traditionalist’s beliefs and practices and forces communities to acknowledge their lack of inclusivity, patriarchal, and heteronormative tendencies that are normalized and engrained into community practices and protocols.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Visionary

Leanne Simpson throughout her life has continued to maintain focus on her vision of reforming the social issues of First Nations. She has strategically put her efforts in areas she deems will result in the greatest aid to her cause. This includes participating in the Idle No More movement and attempting to help gender-based violence and protect indigenous homelands by revisiting Canada’s Indian Act. Simpson also helps to turn her ambitions into reality through other means that may seem unorthodox relative to physically protesting/reforming. Simpson holds a PhD from the University of Manitoba and has written numerous novels (Islands of Decolonial Love, Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back, The Gift is in the Making, etc.) that educate the common reader on Indian traditions, customs, and oppression. The philosophy she attempts to spread is contrary to that of “extractivism”, which is the removal of Earth’s natural resources, assimilation of Natives, the removal of Indigenous ideals, and cultural appropriation. Through her protests and novels she attempts a resurgence in Indigenous ideology, intelligence, and community.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Creative

Leanne Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg artist, musician, poet and writer, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Her work intersects between story and song, bringing audiences into a rich and layered world of sound, light, and sovereign creativity. Her latest album, f(l)ight, was released in 2016. f(l)ight is a collection of story-songs that effortlessly interweaves Simpson’s complex poetics and stories of the land, spirit, and body. Simpson’s work breaks open the intersections between politics, story and song. Leanne Simpson creates work that is a form of activism and resistance, addressing issues such as discrimination within her community. She created a music video for her song-poem “Leaks” from the album Islands of Decolonial Love. The video is shares the story of a young Anishinaabekwe experiencing racism for the first time, the poem is the voice of the mother realizing that she cannot protect her daughter from such injustices and acts of hate, but she can influence her in healing from these experiences. The video shows visuals of Leanne with her daughter on the land of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg. The film is about living as an Anishinaabekwe, displaying the powerful connection to the land and the importance of passing that knowledge down to future generations. She states in the poem, “you are not a vessel for white settler shame”, teaching her daughter to take pride in her Indigenous identity and the importance of decolonizing her self-image. The poem and visuals are a notion of resistance, teaching her daughter to find healing through her land relations and cultural practices.

 

 

 

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Winona LaDuke (Ojibwe) – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Whanganui Water Rights | References

Winona LaDuke’s success in movement-building can be attributed to her personal mix of leadership qualities. The most critical of these qualities are her vision and ability to innovate, her patience, and community-oriented philosophy. These traits have been specifically highlighted because they are the pillars on which LaDuke’s work has been built.

Vision 

Winona LaDuke is a visionary, taking innovative approaches in her activism. Her career in raising awareness for indigenous issues began in earnest in 1985, and since then she has shown a remarkable ability to adapt and take advantage of changes in society and technology to further her cause. She has made abundant use of media, and her outreach has evolved over time , now spanning an impressive list. She has written several books (including a novel), essays, and articles, as well as appeared on television in documentaries. More recently, she has extended her campaign to the internet, keeping pace as it quickly became popular. In short, she has entered nearly every single form of media in existence. Her highly creative approach to media has led to recognition on several levels.

LaDuke has also been highly innovative as an environmentalist, with her work on renewable energy systems and issues such as climate change. She has used the broader scope of general environmental problems to draw attention to issues of environmental injustice regarding Indigenous communities. LaDuke rarely approaches issues from the “traditional” standpoint; more often, she paves the way for a new type of solution, often larger in scale and proportion than is expected. Using her background in economics, she has advocated for new  energy economic systems based on wind and solar power. By doing so, she hopes to draw both economic and environmental benefit for Native America. On her website, she also supports a crowd-funding initiative for solar energy, claiming that this new, unconventional method could prove to be a more effective means of financing solar energy. This shows a clear trend in LaDuke’s activism of being quick to embrace new and innovative methods to solve old problems. Rather than simply following in the footsteps of other native leaders before her, LaDuke clearly saw a vision of her own and pursued it, resulting in explosive success.

LaDuke with a solar panel as part of her clean energy initiative

Patience

Patience is one of Winona LaDuke’s most powerful qualities, and it is one of the driving forces behind her success. She exhibited patience from the beginning of her career as an activist, but also in her personal life. When she first moved to the White Earth reservation, for example, she was not accepted by the Ojibwe nation that she felt she belonged to. Rather than explosively confront this rejection and start a movement from the get-go, however, she bided her time. LaDuke worked at White Earth as a school principal and slowly got involved in local issues. She used her education in economics to help the reservation’s community, and then slowly transitioned into activism. Though she had been involved in activist groups since her undergraduate education at Harvard University, she worked patiently over the years to gradually establish a movement among her people, starting small and growing larger until groups from all over the nation became involved. As a Native leader, she tackles issues that have spanned centuries and will likely carry on for years. Attempting to rush these kinds of change would likely end in failure. While LaDuke still pursues great change, she takes her time, serving a higher purpose in looking to posterity. 

From LaDuke’s Acceptance Speech for Green Party V.P. Nomination Jun 25, 2000

Concern for her community 

Winona LaDuke’s leadership philosophy is highly community-oriented. Instead of leading from the front, her movements are often based within the community. Her first major ventures into activism came from within the local Ojibwe reservation at White Earth. Rather than just attempt to drive change by challenging an adverse outside environment, she has also chosen to focus on strengthening communities, preparing them for these adverse conditions. For example, to a greater extent than other leaders, LaDuke engages with youth. LaDuke has said, “We make sure the kids are part of everything. In most of America, it seems you don’t matter if you’re not between 25 and 50.” With her focus on youth, LaDuke targets  She frequently sets up and attends events to simply meet and discuss issues with communities all over America.

In the beginning of her career, LaDuke first devoted her energy to changing her personal community from within. Early on, she faced resistance to the White Earth Land Recovery project. “I need to deal with them because it affects other people where I live,” she said, referring to the power structure in her community.

Winona LaDuke engaging with local youth in the community

Winona LaDuke’s first major work as an activist was helping found the Indigenous Women’s Network, a platform that focuses on ensuring Native women have sovereignty over themselves and their environments. It is telling that instead of immediately trying to challenge their white oppressors, LaDuke valued strengthening the Indigenous community as a whole by targeting this deep social issue.

 

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Neville Bonner – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Mauna Kea | References

Pioneering

Although Bonner had many valiant and praiseworthy traits, one which truly

Queensland Country Life, Australian of the Year Quality

stands out is that he was a pioneer for his people. Despite being an Aboriginal man during a time of great adversity, Bonner stayed true to his morals in order to become the first person of Aboriginal descent to enter the Australian parliament. The number of ‘firsts’ that Neville Bonner accomplished on behalf of his people is both astonishing and highly commendable; including starting a business and becoming the first aboriginal to be elected to Australia’s senate. Despite little education and no political background, Bonner served as a bulldozer for advancing the rights of his fellow Aboriginal community members. Therefore, it is only appropriate that Bonner should be considered a pioneer of his time.

Because of Neville Bonner, Aboriginal Australians all over the country have one more influential leader to look up and aspire to. Furthermore, Aboriginals are recognized by their country’s constitution, they have laws that safeguard their land and communities, and Australia now protects, rather than rejects them. Like a pioneer, Bonner ventured into uncharted territory and dared to do the unexpected, with little support from the world around him. Today, he is a highly regarded and respected Aboriginal man, who deserves every ounce of recognition for his pioneering of laws that protect indigenous people and land.

Resilient

Bonner at a Land Rights March in Brisbane

Coming from an Aboriginal descent, Neville Bonner was not accepted by the white community. As a result, he was not able to receive the education he deserved. He lived in a discriminatory world in which he was not recognized by his own country’s constitution. Even so, Bonner continued to work hard in order to provide himself and his family a better path than the one society fabricated for them. He worked as a carpenter, managed a dairy farm, and even created his own boomerang manufacturing business before beginning his political career.

As an Aboriginal politician in the Commonwealth parliament, Neville Bonner was resilient in promoting Aboriginal rights and welfare during a time when the rest of the parliament was not willing to help Aboriginal communities. During his time in parliament, other politicians never considered Bonner his equal, often leaving him alone and rarely befriending him. Nonetheless, he was never afraid to express his Aboriginality to his colleagues, even if it meant that he had to vote against his party- something Bonner did over 30 times throughout his political career.

Bonner’s retirement from politics did not prevent him from advocating and speaking for Aboriginal issues. He was never ashamed of his Aboriginal culture, and hoped to remain true to his Aboriginal voice when speaking for his people. Bonner’s legacy continues to inspire Aboriginals today to rise above the stereotypes forced upon them by the government and contribute to the advancement of society.

Adaptable

From a young age, Neville Bonner had the ability to excel in any field or job he

Bonner Showing Off His Company’s Boomerangs

was tasked with. Bonner faced a frequent changing of schooling situations during his youth. The first school Bonner attended was the South Lismore School. He and his siblings were sent home the first day by the Head Schoolmaster because the white families kept their children home. After the death of Neville’s mother, his grandmother moved the family to Queensland where they attended the Beaudesert School. At this school, Neville was able to skip three grades in one year, proving that he was highly adaptable in any situation, so long as he had the right tools.

The trait of adaptability followed Bonner in virtually every job he had acquired. One of Neville’s first jobs was working on a cattle station. He started roughly the time that his wife became pregnant and by the time his son was born he had already become the Head Stockman. Eventually, his son became ill and the three moved to Palm Island. Bonner was forced to find another job on the island and became the Health officer on the island. Despite this completely different occupation, he was able to adapt extraordinarily well. The superintendent of the island tasked Bonner to make bricks to rebuild the infrastructure, or lack thereof. Again, granted the opportunity, Bonner made the best of his situation and was able to build a house for himself out of the bricks. Bonner was always adapting to positions of leadership in every field naturally. The adaptability that Bonner displayed in his various jobs and schooling led him excel in his career as a politician.

 

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Katie John (Athabaskan) – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Atlantic Salmon | References

Strong-Willed

Katie John with Staff

Strong-Willed is great word to use to describe Katie John. She was raised in an environment that many would not be able to withstand. Substance living is arguably one of the best ways for both personal health and the health of the planet. However, substance living requires strong people because it is not easy.

She learned English as a teenager. Learning a new language past the age of ten is proven to be far more difficult than when a child. She was married young and raised so many children. She then helped create a written alphabet for the language that she was raised with. Part of her being strong-willed is the will to keep her language alive, while so many factors of western culture is trying to erase it.

To credit her will once again, she started a court case to have Alaska state permit substance fishing. She was determined and fought for this for the remainder of her life. A huge part of her culture and the way she was raised is substance living. Once again Western culture tries and eliminate an indigenous culture, Katie John saw it as her duty to keep her language and way of living still going.

Frank

John did not mince words, beat around the bush, or play games. Throughout her life, she spoke plainly and directly about the issues she fought for and against. It did not matter who you were, what your status was, or what you thought of her, Katie John just told you what she thought. This was apparent in her leadership in Mentasta Village, where she once told her own son and other tribal members that they had to leave the village for a certain amount of time, and could not come back until they changed their ways.

Katie John watches as Governor Tony Knowles struggles to hold on to a salmon.

Further, when she went to the Supreme Court to fight for substance rights, she did not change the frank way in which she talked, and in fact, seemed to utilize it as a way to break through the formal barriers of the court. After the court case had been determined in favor of her and the tribe, then Governor Tony Knowles could have appealed on behalf of the state of Alaska, and she simply invited him to their fish camp, which was illegal at the time. They spent the day together, and she spoke in her frank manner about the importance of fish to her people and their way of life. However, this is not to say she spoke with humor, or without intelligence, and when the Governor accidentally let a fish fall back into the river, she asked if he had granted it a “gubernatorial pardon.”

Determined

Katie John receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Being that Katie John was well known for obtaining rights for her people, it is clear to see that this job was not easy. Challenges she faced, especially that of being a Native woman, come to show how determined she was when standing up for what she believed in. Katie John knew well what things to take in consideration that would potentially be both positive or negative, but did not let that stop her from reaching her goals.

Katie received many rejections over the period of years in which she fought for her and her peoples rights, that including the one towards the Alaska Board State of Fisheries. This movement that began in 1985 by Katie herself, continues up to this day, even after her passing. This comes to show that although what she fought for was what she believed to be their rights, she was determined to do this not only for the period of time in which she lived, but for the future of her people. Despite many obstacles Katie faced while trying to obtain their rights, she did it all with love and honor and did not stop fighting up until her last days, making her a very respected Native American woman.

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Ely S. Parker – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Maori Land Ownership | References 

Adaptable

Parker, or Donehogawa, lived a life that straddled Indigenous and American culture. He grew up on the Tonawonda Indian Reservation. As an adult, he was appointed a sachem, or leader, of his tribe. He gained skills as an engineer through work opportunities. He made great efforts to assimilate in American society; he joined the army, owned an American estate and married a white American woman. These different life experiences made him beloved by whites and Native Americans alike. After the Civil War, he was often consulted for his opinions on negotiations with Indian nations. He worked to uphold the “public interest” of white Americans and the American Government while also treating Indian tribes with respect.

This double life was complicated for Parker. He was a perfect example of a man who had assimilated into white society, and led by example. He used his white lifestyle to encourage Indians to give up hunting and turn to farming. Secretary Cox, speaking to a group of Indians, said of Parker, “He…has power and white people obey him…we will be brethren to you in the same way if you follow his good example and learn our civilization.” Assimilation served him well, and Parker advocated it for others. His wide array of life experiences pushed him to become adaptable, and these experiences allowed him to make important decisions during his time as Commissioners of Indian Affairs.

Educated

Parker’s educational experiences also made him skilled in many areas. His time studying law allowed him to easily navigate the treaties he was tasked with managing, and his time as Grant’s secretary taught him how to handle paperwork and negotiations. All the skills he acquired in his early life became essential to his success later in his career. As Commissioner of Indian Affairs, he was able to manage 300,000 Indians and 370 previous treaties. He was an eloquent writer, and able to make clear administrative plans.

Before Parker was appointed to Commissioner, he suggested a clear four step plan for improving Indian relations. He wanted the Indian Bureau returned to the War Department to allow the military to defend Indian land and stop violence before it occurred. In addition, Indian land should have firmly defined borders, and the same type of government should be applied to all of Nations to allow for easier management. He also advocated for inspection boards comprised of white men and educated Indians to oversee financial matters, decrease fraud and encourage peace. His education made it easy to analyze situations, make rational decisions, and communicate his plans.

 

Plaster bust of Parker in his uniform and medal from Red Jacket. Courtesy of Rochester Museum.

 

Principled

Parker felt the weight of his appointment to Commissioner of Indian Affairs acutely. He knew that his work would affect not just himself but all American Indians, and if he failed it would reflect badly on the entire group. This motivated him to be even more careful in his management than he usually was.

In this position, he stayed fair and sought at all times to uphold both the rights of Native Americans and the laws of the United States. Because of legal precedent, he upheld the Supreme Court decision of Fellows vs Blacksmith, which ruled that treaties, once ratified, had to be obeyed whether the Indians had knowingly assented to them or not.

He spent much of his time working to be sure that the Indians would not be further cheated. He personally oversaw all claims that went through his office, land surveys, sales of land, and the creation of new reservations. To avoid corruption and bribery, he replaced the politically appointed agents with men from the army.

When Parker was accused of using the Bureau of Indian Affairs to line his pockets, he was devastated by the accusations. During his defense, he said that he may have made an error, but he would never have abused his position. Even though he was acquitted, the accusations rattled him so much that he resigned.

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Chief Leschi – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Schaghticoke Nation Lawsuit | References

Chief Leschi was not simply selected to be a leader, the Nisqually people believed that the stars aligned on the day of his birth and he was predestined to lead his people someday. Chief Leschi was a leader who was held in the highest esteem.

Leschi had pacifist tendencies, which made him a graceful and level-headed leader. He did not believe that fighting would resolve any of the issues that his tribe was facing. Regardless of the mistreatment of Native people by Americans, he strongly discouraged his people from killing Americans.  He believed that reasoning with other tribes and the government was more progressive than combat. He even offered to cut off his right hand to show he would not fight the Americans in exchange for peace for his people. Even when the American government was threatening imprisonment, he decided to flee instead of fighting back because he so strongly stuck by his moral values of avoiding combat.

Chief Leschi was known for being a loyal leader. He prioritized the wellbeing of his people over his own. When the government asked him to sign the Medicine Creek Treaty which would relocate the Nisqually people as well as other bands who spoke Chinook Jargon, he refused because he felt as though the new land would result in a deterioration of his people. There were not means for sustenance at the new location– it was lacking a river and a place for horses to graze. Leschi fought against the signing of this treaty, even though he knew that it would potentially put himself in great danger. His persistence allowed for better treaty terms to be negotiated after the end of Puget Sound War. He eventually, gracefully, accepted his resulting death knowing that he was able to give his people land that they could sustain themselves on.

Not only was Leschi loyal to his people, but he was also persistent. When the Americans first settled, Leschi constantly monitored the foreigners to decipher their intention with his land. As the governor moved from tribe to tribe to evaluate more land, Leschi followed and observed the interactions and how the local tribes treated the outsiders. Leschi even made a trip to Olympia to negotiate with the American government for peace. After fighting between natives and foreigners broke out, Leschi was persistent in his pacifist efforts to obtain peace. Leschi attempted to bargain with an American that he had befriended for peace, but nothing was achieved even though his American friend John Swan visited the native lands. Leschi’s love for his land brought him back to the Nisqually Plains, and once again he made a plea with an American colonel for peace. Even when Leschi was on trial for a murder he did not commit, he fought for justice and the truth for his people. Although Leschi was hanged, his persistence lives on today through his people who now use his name in their fight for education for their children.

 

 

 

 

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Louis Riel – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Sixties Scoop Settlement | References

Louis Riel exemplified a myriad of impressive characteristics. Specifically, he sought to preserve the culture of the Métis. He did so by persevering through uprisings, and strategically fighting against the Canadian Government to better the lives of his fellow Métis.

Preserver of Culture

 

Métis and priests in Beauval, SK

Riel sought to preserve Métis rights and culture as their homelands in the Northwest came progressively under the Canadian sphere of influence. Riel was an intelligent leader who fought to protect the social, cultural and political status of the Métis in Red River and the Northwest more generally. As tensions mounted among the Métis in 1869 it was clear that strong leadership was needed, and Riel had leadership coursing through his blood. Although Riel’s experiences growing up produced a lifestyle quite different from that of the traditional, buffalo-hunting Métis, it was these people he aspired to lead. He struggled not only for himself but for his people. Riel fought for the Métis and their rights to own land. He battled an unreasonable and irresponsible government while protesting central Canadian political and economic powers. After leading the Métis and bringing Manitoba into Confederation, it is clear that Riel struggled for the Métis, the people of Manitoba and the Northwest. By leading the Métis in a time of economic, political, and cultural turbulence, he was able to provide the nation with a sense hope, strength, and pride. Riel’s execution made him the martyr of the Métis people; he is a heroic rebel who fought to protect his people from the unjust encroachments of an Anglophone national government. It is more than clear that Riel was a rebel with a cause, fighting to preserve his people’s culture and rights.

 

Persevering

Riel’s perseverance is apparent throughout his career as both a politician and a rebel leader. Despite being threatened by high-ranking government officials, Riel never faltered in his attempts to achieve justice for his fellow Métis. After being convicted by the Canadian government for the murder of Thomas Scott, a warrant was issued for Riel’s arrest and he was exiled to Montana for five years. Although he was in exile during the important governmental elections of 1872 and 1873, Riel was determined to provide a voice for his people. Despite his naturalization in the United States, Riel continued to uphold his status as an influential indigenous individual by fighting against alcoholism within indigenous communities and again campaigning for another governmental institution. Despite gaining a U.S. citizenship and settling down in Montana, Riel valiantly gave up his life in the states when he was appointed to lead the Métis people who were left in distress back in Saskatchewan.

Not long after his return to Canada, Riel issued a Bill of Rights to Imperial Ottawa consisting of the grievances and the compensations the Métis deserved. Although these grievances were neglected by Prime Minister John Macdonald, Riel did not lose hope and continued fighting for the rights of Métis people. He pursued his quest for justice by creating the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan and actively rebelling against the Canadian government in hopes of regaining native rights. As a young man, Riel embodied perseverance as he fought for his fellow Métis; he exemplified this characteristic up until the moment he was hanged. Riel was passionate about the Métis people and believed that they had a right to their freedom, to own property, and to be separate from Canada’s dominion government.

Strategic

War Map of the North-west territory

Before Louis Riel’s more militant and rebellious approach towards the maltreatment of his fellow Métis, he pursued a more diplomatic alternative to violence. Riel pinpointed unjust governmental actions towards his people and combined his personal vision with a national vision to form the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan. With the provisional government, Riel was able to officially represent his people in the eyes of the public. He filed the Manitoba Act, which stated that Métis lands would be protected, but all other lands were to remain the property of the Dominion of Canada. This act marked the legal resolution of the struggle for self-determination between the Métis and the federal government.

After returning from his exile in 1884, Riel’s first course of action was to collect all the grievances and requests of Métis, half-blood farmers, and prairie natives to be condensed into a Bill of Rights where settlers demanded that they be given title to the lands they occupied, that the districts of Saskatchewan, Assiniboia, and Alberta, be granted provincial status, that laws be passed to encourage the nomadic Indians and Métis to settle on the land, and that the Indians be better treated. After the petition was neglected by Prime Minister Macdonald, Riel retaliated by seizing a church in Batoche, making it both a jail and a storehouse, a tactical move that proved a useful advantage in the fight. While capturing the Church, Riel also strategically cut telegraph lines between cities to delay the notice of the rebellion to the dominion government, providing his rebel forces with more time to effectively retaliate. Familiar with the unsettling outcomes of other native groups who were oppressed in North America, and aware that his more peaceful forms of protest were not effecting change, Riel resorted to war. He sought to strategically help the Métis and other Indigenous groups, whether it be through diplomatic acts or rebellions, Riel acted upon the government’s negligence and fought for the rights of his people.

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Billy Frank Jr. – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities | Fishing Rights in Alaska |  References

Passionate

Billy Frank Jr. devoted all his energy into a career of protecting fishing rights of the Nisqually tribe because he was passionate about preserving the traditions of his people. He chaired the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) for the majority of the final 30 years of his life. NWIFC, formed to aid the tribes in fisheries management responsibilities, served 20 Western Washington treaty tribes with a central office in Olympia and satellite offices in Mt. Vernon and Forks, Washington. Its staff included fishery and shellfish biologists, biometricians, habitat analysts and managers, fishery geneticists, and much more. It covered all of Puget Sound as well as coastal locations.

Billy Frank Jr. was involved in the Nisqually Tribe’s work to restore the Nisqually River Delta. Because the federal government is responsible for managing the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, the tribe had to work in conjunction with the federal government to remove the dike system that held back seawater. With the help of Billy Frank Jr.’s passionate leadership, the tribe successfully restored 140 acres of its own land.  This 140 acres combined with more than 700 acres of land in the federal wildlife refuge, from which dikes were removed in 2009. Because of the dike removal, the wildlife refuge became a prime habitat for endangered salmon.

Bill Frank was often the voice of the commission to the public. Newspapers quoted him repeatedly in articles on fisheries issues in the Northwest. He wrote editorials about treaty shellfish rights, water rights, and a myriad other issues. He served on the leadership council of the Puget Sound Partnership from its inception in 2005. He spared no effort to his decades-long fight for justice and environmental preservation, proving him to be a very passionate leader.

Resilient

No matter how hard it is to preserve the fishing rights of his tribe, Billy Frank never gave up. He was arrested in December 1945, when he was just 14. He had set a net on the Nisqually

Billy Frank Jr. (1931-2014) getting arrested, Olympia

River the night before his arrest to snare fish from the late chum run headed for the Muck Creek freshet. This location burst forth with fish around December every year. He hid his canoe under a fallen maple and arose early the next morning, while it was still dark, to claim and clean his catch. But while doing so, there came a shout, “You’re under arrest!” This arrest for “illegal” fishing on his beloved Nisqually River, spurred Bill Frank to become a leader of a civil disobedience movement that insisted on treaty rights. He was fighting for the right to fish in “usual and accustomed places” which was guaranteed to Washington tribes more than a century before. More than 50 arrests would follow over the years, for Billy Frank and for many other tribe members. However, Billy Frank Jr. continued to fish, and he continued to get arrested.

Billy’s life is turbulent, but Billy is not. He was resilient to all the arrests because he believed it was of the utmost importance to preserve the traditions of his people. He had been taught as a member of the Nisqually tribe that his people had fished for millenniums in the waters that flow from the foot of Mount Rainier into Puget Sound in Washington. He was determined to protect his rights and never wavered.

Inspiring

Bill Frank is an incredible, influential and inspirational leader by his courage, kindness, and dedication. He supported hundreds of Indians’ families and their traditions.  One man shared his memories of the life and work of Billy Frank, “he didn’t mince words, they came from the heart and he said it like it was. His spirit will live on in memories and the heart.” Another person wrote that, “his lifetime of work demonstrates to that we are no longer faced with a question of whether or not to take on the fight. Rather, how do we continue the fight? How do we continue to move forward to advance treaty rights, to protect our resources, our culture, our way of life and ultimately our people?”

Billy Frank Jr. (1931-2014) at Treaty Tree

Bill Frank once said that “I don’t believe in magic. I believe in the sun and the stars, the water, the tides, the floods, the owls, the hawks flying, the river running, the wind talking. They’re measurements. They tell us how healthy things are. How healthy we are. Because we and they are the same. That’s what I believe in.” His heart and his presence had a way of attracting people young and old, from all walks of life and inspiring them to continue the fight of preserving their rights as indigenous people.

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Carl Gorman (Navajo) – Leadership Qualities

Biographical Timeline | Leadership Qualities |  Bear Ears National Monument | References

Selfless

Carl Gorman lived a life of selflessness, and it can be seen in everything he accomplished in his life. In the late 1930’s Carl Gorman began what would be a lifelong pursuit of advocating for his people by working with the United States government when trading prices and practices became unfair. While serving in the military in the 1940’s during WWII , Carl and other Navajos serving often faced discrimination from their superiors. Once Carl showed his selflessness and desire to protect his people by standing up to their particularly abusive drill sergeant, knowing full well he could be severely punished for doing so.

In Carl’s postwar life he continued to be selfless by participating in his community and trying to preserve his native culture. In 1948 Carl helped form the Navajo Club, an organization designed to socially and monetarily help urbanized Navajo’s prosper. He continued his selflessness in the 1970s by teaching at UC Davis  and the Navajo Community College because he recognized the importance of education, especially within the Navajo community.

Brave

Carl Gorman primarily displayed his bravery as a leader with his service as a Navajo Code Talker during WWII. Joining the military itself was an act of bravery, as the United States government has a long a tumultuous history of disrespecting native peoples, especially Navajos. A large part of WWII was the ability to intercept and decipher enemy codes, and the code developed by the Navajo servicemen in their own indecipherable,unique language gave the US a significant advantage

Carl Gorman and the other Navajo Code Talkers risked their lives by entering the war, for in the heat of the moment they were often mistaken for the Japanese enemy or captured and killed while relaying messages. While if was not common for the Code Talkers to be placed directly into combat, it was not entirely unheard of. Some of the Code Talkers died in the war fighting or under ambushes, and Carl faced possible death every day he continued to serve.

Respectful

Carl had an immense amount of respect for his culture, and he tried both to preserve its traditions within the community and to educate other non-Navajos about his customs. He first reached notoriety outside of the Navajo community with his art and paintings. This fame allowed him a platform to educate through his work.

Carl also showed respect for his culture during his service during WWII. Himself of and many of the other Navajo Code Talkers brought their culture with them in protection rituals and ceremonies that they shared with the other non-native soldiers. Carl also used his platform as a professor at UC Davis in the 1970s to teach about native culture and history to help spread awareness for his people. Within his community, Carl showed respect for his culture by recording and writing down over 1000 stories from Navajo elders. Carl allowed this previously oral tradition and culture to become more solidified.

Why These Qualities?

For inspiration of qualities of a leader that best describe Carl Gorman, we turned to the values of the U.S. Army. These values include loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Being a solider, Carl Gorman certainly has qualities of bravery. Another part of what makes him a leader is his lifelong commitment to selfless acts. He demonstrates this through both his military service and his actions taken to preserve the Navajo culture. His third leadership quality, respectful, comes from how he presented himself within the Navajo community and to the outside world. He had an immense amount of respect for his culture, and he was open and respective of sharing that culture with others.