The Institute for Tribal Government in the
Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, College
of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland
State University, has developed an educational
program in tribal governance. As part of
this effort, the Institute is video recording
the oral histories of contemporary tribal
leaders who have been active in the struggle
for tribal sovereignty, self-determination,
and treaty rights. The leadership themes
presented in these unique videos provide
a rich resource that can be used by present
and future generations of Tribes, students
in Native American studies programs, and
other interested groups.
Funding
support for this project has been received
from tribal governments, government agencies,
individuals and businesses. You can help
support the Institute and help bring its
Great Tribal Leaders of Modern Time project
to fruition by making a tax-deductible gift
to Tribal Leadership Forum, C/0 Portland
State University Foundation, PO Box 610, North Plains, Oregon 97133.
The Institute has interviewed the following
tribal leaders:
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Ron
Allen, Jamestown S’Klallam,
Washington. Tribal Chairman since 1978,
leader in his tribe gaining federal
recognition; Treasurer of the National
Congress of American Indians. Allen
thrives on challenge, and has greatly
expanded the economy of his own small
tribe while simultaneously working on
the national level, with NCAI and other
coalitions.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Edward
T. Begay, Navajo Nation. Long
and distinguished career with the Navajo
Nation, serving for two terms as Speaker.
He is committed to the project of creative
and appropriate economic development
of his people, and also to preserving
Navajo traditions.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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John
Echohawk, Pawnee. Attorney,
co-founder of the Native American Rights
Fund (NARF) and Executive Director since
1977. A powerful voice in cases supporting
Indian rights throughout the U.S., he
has won numerous awards for his achievements.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Jayne
Fawcett, Mohegan Nation, Connecticut.
Spent her childhood largely with her
mother’s family, operating the
oldest Indian-run museum in the U.S.
As Ambassador of the Mohegan Nation,
Fawcett furthers both her family’s
legacy of cultural preservation and
her tribe’s economic development.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Billy
Frank, Jr., Nisqually Washington.
Chairman, Northwest Indian Fish Commission.
Frank withstood years of persecution
before the U.S. Court affirmed treaty-guaranteed
fishing rights. An inspirational leader
who has given his life to tribal treaty
rights and environmental integrity,
in 2004, Indian Country Today bestowed
its Inaugural
American Indian Visionary Award
to Frank.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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LaDonna Harris, Comanche,
Oklahoma. Has worked for decades on
behalf of Indian tribes, civil rights,
and world peace. Her most compelling
task today is forming new leaders through
the Ambassadors program of Americans
for Indian Opportunity, the Albuquerque-based
organization she created in 1972.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Kathryn Harrison, Molalla,
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde,
Oregon. Led her tribe’s struggle
to achieve federal recognition; first
woman elected to chair her tribal council;
helped secure tribe’s Gaming Compact
with the state of Oregon. Preservation
of her people’s history is her
core commitment.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Gay
Kingman, Cheyenne River Sioux,
South Dakota. 25-year career as teacher,
principal, tribal college president;
past positions include Executive Director
of the National Congress of American
Indians and Public Relations Director
of the National Indian Gaming Association.
Kingman is a fierce defender of tribal
rights and sovereignty.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Oren
Lyons, Traditional Chief of
the Onondaga Nation, New York. Professor,
crisis-negotiator, coach, author and
painter. He is an avid promoter of the
Iroquois game of lacrosse, and an educator
on the international level about the
environmental perils upon which human
beings of the present time need to act.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Wilma
P. Mankiller, former Principal
Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma.
First woman in modern times elected
to lead a major tribe. A community organizer
and social justice pioneer, she received
a Presidential Medal of Freedom from
President Bill Clinton, and a health
clinic in her name is one of her proudest
achievements.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Antone
Minthorn, Cayuse, Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon.
Chairman from 1997 to 2001, and from 2003
to present. Minthorn has been the guiding
force in many of the Tribes’ successes,
including restoration of salmon to the Umatilla
River after a 70-year absence. He is dedicated
to inter-tribal coalitions and cooperative
enterprises and is an active member of the
Democratic Party.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Anthony
Pico, Viejas Band of Kumeyaay,
California. Chairman of the Viejas
Band for more than 20 years. He led
his people from poverty and despair
to a time of economic independence,
initially through gaming, and now
through a variety of economic projects,
which he enjoys developing and sustaining.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Roy
Sampsel, Wyandotte and Choctaw.
Past positions include Executive Director
of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission; Special Assistant to the
Secretary of Interior for the Pacific
Northwest Region; Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Indian Policy, Department of Interior.
Today, he is a leader who is convinced
that tribes have unusual skills as natural
resource managers and often serves as
a bridge between tribes and federal
agencies.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Sue
Shaffer, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua
Indians, has been chair of her tribe since
1983 and was a leader in getting Congress
to formally recognize her tribe. Her hard
work in economic development has touched the
lives of thousands of Douglas County residents,
both Indian and non-Indian. She has received
the Eleanore Roosevelt Award from the Democratic
Party of Oregon.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Mel
Tonasket, Confederated Tribes
of the Colville Indian Reservation,
Washington. Led his tribal council’s
fight against termination and as President
of NCAI mobilized national support for
major tribal legislation passed in the
1970s. A trailblazer in healthcare policy,
in 2002 he received a “Heroes
of Healthcare” award from the
Washington Health Foundation.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Eddie
L. Tullis, Poarch Band of Creek
Indians of Alabama. Has served as Chairman
for more than 30 years; leader in obtaining
his tribe’s federal recognition.
Today Chairman Tullis’ deepest
commitment is to economic projects that
will provide education, housing and
health care for his people.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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S.
Timothy Wapato, Colville Confederated
Tribes, Washington. Past positions include
Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal
Fish Commission; Director, National
Indian Gaming Association; Director
of the Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative;
Commissioner for the Administration
for Native Americans; and U.S. Commissioner
for the Pacific Salmon Commission. Today
he advises tribes throughout the nation,
and particularly enjoys opportunities
to motivate and inspire Indian youth.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Mike
Williams, Yupiaq Eskimo; Chairman,
Alaska Intertribal Council and mental
health counselor. He maintains a fervent
commitment to the subsistence way of
life and runs the Iditarod dog sled
race every year to promote sobriety,
healthy lifestyles, and education for
Alaskan children.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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The Institute has interviewed the following leaders, but does not have tapes of these leaders available at this time.
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Clarence
Alexander, Gwich'in Athabascan, Alaska.
Former Grand Chief, founder and first chairman
of the Council of Athabaskan Tribal Governments.
Founding member and key leader on the Yukon
River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. He has
helped build a new generation of leadership
in Fort Yukon, In Gwich’in territory
and in the conservation community. Today he
is working on the completion of a Gwich'in
dictionary.
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Thomas
Begay, Navajo. Code Talker
with the U.S. Marines 5th Division on
Iwo Jima.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Ramona
Bennett, Puyallup, Washington.
Leader in securing passage of the Indian
Child Welfare Act of 1978. She is an
outspoken and courageous voice for human
rights, especially the needs of children,
and today directs an agency specializing
in the placement of Indian and minority
children.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Peter
Captain, Louden, Alaska. First
Chief of his tribal council since 1995.
He is a leader in the drive to eliminate
“snowbirds” (plastic bags)
from his community of Galena, and is
an active member of the Yukon River
Inter-Tribal Watershed Council.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Sarah
James, Neets’aii Gwich’in,
is from Arctic Village, Alaska. She grew up
following the caribous migration, and with
the motivation to care for her land. A leader
in the struggle to prevent oil drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a
voice for human rights. She has been a major
force in mobilizing public opinion on behalf
of the Refuge.
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Russell
Jim, Yakama Nation, Washington.
He has battled tirelessly to educate
people about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation
and its damage to the land and society.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Earl
Old Person, Blackfeet Nation,
Montana. Tribal Chairman, Chief and
spiritual leader. Under his leadership,
the tribe has built a community college,
industrial park, community center, and
tourist facilities. He remains committed
to advancing educational and business
opportunities for his people.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Nelson
Wallulatum, Wasco Chief, Confederated
Tribes of the Warm Springs, Oregon.
Served on Tribal Council for more than
40 years. He has been a witness to the
devastating episodes in the Columbia
River story of the past 70 years, and
is a voice for fish, the river, and
native traditions.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Robert
Yazzie, Chief Justice of
the Navajo Nation from 1992 –
2003. A potent force in integrating
traditional Navajo law and peacemaking
techniques into the Nation’s
court system, he lectures to tribal
and non-tribal groups about traditional
concepts of peacemaking.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Peterson
Zah, Navajo Nation, Chairman
of the Tribal Council from 1983 –
1987 President of the Navajo Nation
1990-1994. Today he is Advisor to Arizona
State University on American Indian
Affairs, helping with retention and
recruitment of Native American students.
Click
here for more detailed biography
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Raymond Cross, Hidatsa, Mandan, Arikara
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Chief Phillip Martin, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
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Delores Pigley, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
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Chuck Kimbol, Klamath
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Benny Shendo, Pueblo of Jemiz
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Minerva Soucie, Burns Paiute
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Ron Brainard, Coos
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Ed Metcalf, Coquille
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Pearl Capoeman-Baller, Quinault
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Marge Anderson, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians
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Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, Narragansett
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Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone
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Sam Penney, Nez Perce
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