Tribal Leadership Summary

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The discussion panel I attended was the tribal leaders forum that hosted two tribal leaders; Terry Rambler from the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Stephen Lewis from the Gila River Indian Community. These two tribal leaders answered a variety of questions regarding AIS and the importance of indigenizing education to better prepare tribal citizens in society. The advancement of education is definitely headed in the right direction for these local tribes as they have been innovating new ways to assist their tribal members to reach higher levels of education. The San Carlos Tribe took the initiative to open their own tribal college which they utilize to send their members to state universities such as ASU and NAU. This also not only opens doorways …show more content…
The two tribal leaders continued to answer questions about environmental issues within the state and what they are currently facing. Mr. Rambler discussed the Oak Flat mining situation and the battle they are facing that could potentially impact their water sources with long lasting environmental impacts. Likewise, Mr. Lewis discussed the importance of their quality of water which is currently vulnerable to contamination due to the recent impacts coal mining plants have been towards their water sources. Both tribal leaders agreed that they share these struggles because it does not only impact their quality of life but neighboring tribes as well. They recognized that their decisions will also have ramifications with others which make political decisions challenging in that they want whats best for them without the cost of the welfare of other tribes. The fight for future generations and quality of life is paramount for these tribes and education is the tool which can guide and help serve these communities current and future