Every Single Person Has Leadership Ability. Some

Though Many Non-native Americans Have Learned Very Little About Us, Over Time We Have Had To Learn Everything About Them. We Watch Their Films, Read Their Literature, Worship In Their Churches, And Attend Their Schools. Every Third-grade Student In The United States Is Presented With The Concept Of Europeans Discovering America As A "new World" With Fertile Soil, Abundant Gifts Of Nature, And Glorious Mountains And Rivers. Only The Most Enlightened Teachers Will Explain That This World Certainly Wasn't New To The Millions Of Indigenous People Who Already Lived Here When Columbus Arrived.

I Hope Many Of You Will Be People That Question Why Things Are And Why We Have To Do Them The Way We Have Always Done Them. I Hope You Will Take Some Risks, Exert Some Real Leadership On Issues, And If You Will, Dance Along The Edge Of The Roof As You Continue For Life.

It Should Be Remembered That Hundreds Of People Of African Ancestry Also Walked The Trail Of Tears With The Cherokee During The Forced Removal Of 1838-1839. Although We Know About The Terrible Human Suffering Of Our Native People And The Members Of Other Tribes During The Removal, We Rarely Hear Of Those Black People Who Also Suffered.

A Significant Number Of People Believe Tribal People Still Live And Dress As They Did 300 Years Ago. During My Tenure As Principal Chief Of The Cherokee Nation, National News Agencies Requesting Interviews Sometimes Asked If They Could Film A Tribal Dance Or If I Would Wear Traditional Tribal Clothing For The Interview. I Doubt They Asked The President Of The United States To Dress Like A Pilgrim For An Interview.

In Iroquois Society, Leaders Are Encouraged To Remember Seven Generations In The Past And Consider Seven Generations In The Future When Making Decisions That Affect The People.