Profiles four American Indians of Oklahoma who strove to preserve their languages and traditions and pass them on to future generations: Kiowa grandmother and educator Evalu Ware Russell, Cherokee minister Sam Hider, Kialegee (Muskogee Creek) elder James Wesley, and Choctaw leader Charley Jones. (SV)

This first of a series of essays on Indian leadership focuses on the role of American Indian leaders in community development, including their contributions of technological skills, humanism, and the energy and persistence needed to work toward a vision. Essential to rebuilding Indian communities is understanding how internalized oppression has…

Today's young American Indians have unprecedented opportunities, but the traditional role of community and elders in leadership development has been disrupted. Several programs are described that develop Indian leaders in accordance with Indian traditions. Innovative cultural programming, internship and employment opportunities, and integrating…

For the past four years, the American Indian Ambassadors Program has selected American Indians to participate in a year-long leadership training program. The program focuses on mentorship, personal inquiry into one's medicine or power, dialog with leading Native decision makers, community-based projects, and communication-skills training. Profiles…

An Aleut community leader from the Pribilof Islands (Alaska) reflects on what he learned from the economic crisis that threatened the viability of his community during the 1980s. He suggests that the spiritual healing of the individual is central to the healing of the whole community, elimination of conflict, and fulfillment of any vision for the…