Indigenous Power

1
Indigenous Power

• Leveraging Indigenous Power How to Build a
  Collaborative Community
• Regional Development Agreement
• Sheila Selkregg, Ph.D
• University of Alaska Anchorage .

2
Events Over Time Indigenous Power

• Bristol Bay Partnership Memorandum of
  Understanding is framed and defined by the events
  that preceded and followed it.
• Bristol Bays memorandum decision process grew in
  response to Bristol Bays people and events.

3
A Continuum Indigenous Power

• Every region is at some point on the continuum
  of its leadership stability, local capacity, and
  control, and its readiness for community
  development decisions.
• Community Development increases local capacity
  to initiate and manage change that supports the
  communitys long-term sustainability and well
  being.

4
Events Change Indigenous Power

• Events, timing, resources, and tools can help or
  hinder a community at any point on that
  continuum.
• Decisions are based its needs, power structure,
  and values, all of which can change very quickly.
• The ablity to manage and flourish in time of
  change is tied to resiliency.

5
Complex and resilient Indigenous Power

• Strong village, sub regional, and regional
  leadership families
• Active elders and younger, well-educated,
  members
• Wellness movement created new leaders.

6
Complex resilient Indigenous Power

• Traditional chief and elder power structures with
  western structures of democratically elected
  officials
• Aleut and Alutiiq tribes on the ocean side of
  the Alaska Peninsula
• the Dena'ina Athabascans of Iliamna Lake and Lake
  Clark
• the Yup'ik on the Bristol Bay side of the
  peninsula

7
Taking Action Indigenous Power

• 2000 The Bristol Bay Wellness Program
• 2003 Summit, Managing Change Community Planning
  and Our Future
• 2004 Bristol Bay Collaborative Regional Strategic
  Effort
• Village Economic Development Planning Grants

8
Building Agreements Indigenous Power

• 2003 Draft Memorandum of Agreement
• The Agreement blew up over trust issues between
  Bristol Bay municipal, tribal, and non-profit
  entities.
• The Denali Commission sought to select one of
  the five tribal entities as the Commissions
  representative.
• The dangers of empowerment

9
Coordinating the effort Indigenous Power

• Bristol Bay Partners Collaborative Regional
  Planning Effort (USDA/Foraker)
• Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA)
• Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC)
• Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation
  (BBEDC)
• Bristol Bay Housing Authority (BBHA)
• Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation (BBAHC)
• Each Partner has village base Tribal boards
• Associate Partners
• Regional
• Non profits
• Municipal

10
Observations Indigenous Power

• Bristol Bay Region interfaced with internal and
  external interests as they worked through complex
  cultural, social, heath, and economic issues.
• Through that experience, the region has
  expressed consistent observations and insights
  regarding power and wellness.

11
Observations Indigenous Power

• Key themes
• local power and wellness
• recognize process as an outcome
• who is in charge of the process
• Agenda
• Content
• Timing
• Power

12
Ownership Indigenous Power

• Ownership of the processes that bring about
  change is important to how individuals define
  themselves and how they relate to their
  community.
• The power to make decisions, to receive
  recognition, and to take responsibility is
  directly linked to a sense of self worth and
  community health.

13
Self Directed Success Indigenous Power

• When you know what you want and why, and you are
  in charge of getting it, your chance for
  successful outcomes increase.
• Healthy communities and regions make and direct
  their decisions regarding essential community
  change.

14
Dangerous Help Indigenous Power

• Helper can be part of the problem
• Relying on an outside expert can reduce the
  individuals and communitys sense of autonomy,
  and ultimately undermine their control over key
  decisions.

15
Control Indigenous Power

• As communities and regions organize, they can be
  derailed by fragmented and disjointed delivery
  structures.
• The need to rely on an outside expert can
  reduce the individuals and communitys sense of
  autonomy, and ultimately undermine their control
  over key decisions.

16
Sense of Loss Indigenous Power

• Lack of control reduces the sense of ownership
  and can result in loss.
• That loss can be expressed as a lack of self care
  or
• lack of interest in maintenance and repair of
  items that the individual or community has
  received.
• .

17
Ownership Indigenous Power

• Concepts such as ownership replace empowerment,
  and responsibility replaces victimization.

18
Tensions Indigenous Power

• Indigenous decision making and conflict
  resolution draw from traditional, cultural,
  consensus-based protocols.
• Western/democratic decision making is a win/lose
  structure.
• Having two systems creates powerful leadership
  resilience.
• Differences create tensions that can be both
  creative or destructive.

19
Historical Tension Indigenous Power

• Tension is present in indigenous history.
• Abandonment
• Learned helplessness
• Trust
• Compassion
• Resilience
• Ingenuity
• Independence

20
Trusted Structure Indigenous Power

• Bristol Bay Regional Efforts
• Slow
• Transparent
• Thoughtfully inclusive
• Careful agenda
• Built on consensus
• How you do it is what you get!

21
Bristol Bay Partners Structure Indigenous Power

• Bristol Bay (BB) Partners Leadership Meetings
• BB Planning Committee Work Sessions (Staff
  support to leadership)
• A Memorandum of Understanding
• Village work sessions

22
Staying on Track Indigenous Power

• Community and regional discipline
• Five-Year Development Strategy
• 2006 Action Agenda
• Accountability
• Meeting new challenges and opportunities
• grounded in the agreed upon values and mission

23
Accomplishments Indigenous Power

• Celebrate Success
• Protocols
• Regular meeting
• No surprised
• Consultation with board and village
• Communication
• Regional Calendar
• Alternative energy approaches
• Actions
• Lobbying for regional issues
• Reducing energy and freight costs
• Outcomes
• Energy plan
• Alterative energy wind system at a local hospital

24
The Individual Indigenous Power

• Survival and flourishing begins as an individual
  choice and moves to a community choice.
• In turn, healthy communities create people who
  know how to make good, resilient choices.

25
Trusted Structures Indigenous Power

• Let go of ambition
• Passionately strive for the things that are
  commonly valued
• Welcome truth
• Compassionate
• Listen, assess, and act