Tribal Leadership Summit inspires, offers student opportunities

UTTC marks 26th annual meeting with more than 1,100 attendees

Doug Crow Ghost was among many seeking to foster change and build bonds with other Indigenous community members during the Tribal Leader Summit & Trade Show Sept. 5-7 at the Bismarck Civic Center.

Crow Ghost, director of water resources for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said he was honored to speak at the 26th annual United Tribes Technical College, UTTC, event. Also chair of the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, he urged Native nation advocacy for water and other resources.

“Twenty years ago, I didn’t think that I’d be on a panel talking about water sovereignty with tribal leaders and how important it is all throughout the world and Indian Country,” Crow Ghost said. He spoke on the Food, Energy, and Water Sovereignty Panel, one of several summit attractions that drew around 1,100 attendees from all over North Dakota.

On the opening day of the summit, tribal leaders, and state and federal partners welcomed attendees with words about the benefits of working together for everyone in Indian Country. One of the main components of the conference was setting aside differences.

Jamie Azure, chair of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, said it’s important to meet on issues to discuss the strengths and weaknesses that affect all of the tribes in North Dakota. “True leadership rises above and comes forward with solutions.”  “We all have our disagreements and different ways of doing things, but at the end of the day, we support each other – it doesn’t matter,” he said. “We try to set an example because that’s who we are in North Dakota, all of our tribes; we were meant to lead by example.”

Over the years, the summit has evolved from a meeting of only tribal leaders to a platform where Indigenous citizens can gather information and learn about resources to assist their communities.

Sheri Becker, the UTTC Marketing coordinator, has helped organize the summit during the last two years. “It’s where people can get together to share things that they’re studying or researching on, practices that they are doing differently than everybody else, and find out what is doing well for them,” Becker said.

Unlike prior events, the vendor hall was open to the public and not just conference attendees. Becker said that was to support small Native-owned businesses. Altogether, 50 vendors held informational booths, sold clothing and accessories or provided educational resources to the public.

UTTC personnel encouraged their students to participate, since the knowledge gained at the summit may be of use to them in the future.

Throughout the three-day session, Jada Kuntz, an elementary education student from UTTC, connected with different leaders and experts. She intended to report on the summit for a class assignment but quickly found herself invested in each presentation.

“After the first day, I really became interested,” said Kuntz. “This was not what I expected at all. I’ve learned so many new things from seminars on everything from culture, education, language and politics.”

One of Kuntz’s favorite seminars at the conference was Integrating Culture Into Careers and Higher Education. In the future, she wants to be a grade school teacher for Native students, incorporating Indigenous practices into her classroom setting.

Becker said the Tribal Leadership Summit opens up new opportunities and room for personal growth for young adults such as Kuntz.

“It’s especially important now for students to be able to attend and know what is going on in the different tribes,” said Becker. “For students to get exposure to that and see the things that they can do, especially with the education path that they are on – it’s great for them.”

All attendees expressed appreciation for the leadership gathering. The networking opportunity included learning what projects are or aren’t working as leaders who plan for the next seven generations, Crow Ghost said. “I’m looking forward to partnerships, continuing to have a relationship, and learning how to expand on my learning new ideas, prayers and collaborating with new friends.”

Dateline:

BISMARCK, N.D.