Chad "Corntassel" Smith

Indian tribal governments have a special relationship with the United States government. As tribal nations, federally recognized Indian tribes are entitled to enact their own laws and conduct businesses under their own governmental structures. The Cherokee Nation government has been recognized in the world community of governments since 1721, when it signed its first treaty with Great Britain. In 1832, the United States Supreme Court held that Indian tribes are "domestic dependent nations" with inherent sovereignty and territories exclusive to state governments. "Nation building" is the process of developing a tribe to build self-sufficient economies and cultural integrity. This presentation provides an understanding of Indian Country and answers popular questions such as:

• Why do some Indian tribes have casinos?
• What is a reservation?
• Why do Indian tribes have different laws?

The message is that Indians are citizens of their own governments, in addition to being culturally distinct. Did you know that the famous humorist Will Rogers did not become an American citizen until 1901? Will was born in 1879 in the Cherokee Nation. His parents were both Cherokee citizens, so he was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Will Rogers became an American citizen (and retained his Cherokee citizenship), as did other Cherokees, under federal law in 1901.

Economies must be built with a competitive advantage. One of the competitive advantages often overlooked in rural areas is competitive intelligence. Competitive intelligence can often be viewed as "what people can do and enjoy doing as good as or better than others." Detroit is known for automobiles, Wall Street for finance, Silicon Valley for computers, the Navahos for silver smithing, Mohawks for high iron construction. Local craftsmen with a great affinity for crafting handmade knifes out of saw blades and deer antlers is an example of competitive intelligence that can sustain the growth of a long-term cutlery industry. When competitive intelligence is determined for an area or population, educational systems must be aligned to produce skills and grow that intelligence for that economy.

In 2010, Chad Smith designed, compiled, and edited the award-winning Cherokee art and culture book Building One Fire: The Art and Culture of Cherokee Life. The unique aspect and presentation of this book illustrates the fundamental concept that, historically, Cherokees did not have "art for art's sake." Art design was originally used to decorate and personalize tools, weapons, and utensils. Within the last hundred years Cherokees have used art to express cultural stories. This presentation is an in-depth look at Cherokee identity that is composed of cultural attributes, expressed in outstanding and deeply moving art. Being Cherokee is not represented by teepees, powwows, or being a sidekick for Daniel Boone. Smith's portrayal or definition of Cherokee art, culture, and thought is accurate, insightful, and beautiful.

Much has been written and said about leadership to the extent it has lost much of its definition. Leadership is the most critical aspect for a society, business, government, and people in general. This presentation describes leadership as the process of going from Point A (where you are) to Point B (where you want to go). This model illustrates that at Point A people must have a tremendous amount of humility to understand their place in space and time, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Point B is equally challenging, because many people do not know where they want to go, because they lack vision and/or an understanding of their opportunities. Between Point A and Point B are curves, detours, and potholes that one must have the education, skills, and motivation to navigate. Smith instituted his principle-based leadership model at the Cherokee Nation during his tenure between 1999 and 2011. As a result, the Cherokee Nation grew its assets from $150 million to $1.2 billion, increased healthcare services from $18 million to $310 million, and created 6,000 jobs. This model is applicable to business, government, and people in everyday life situations.

This presentation explores the often highly emotional conflict between Freedmen and Indians regarding sovereignty and tribal identity. The core issue is often lost, because the general public readily understands race and civil rights issues, but it does not understand the concepts of tribal citizenship and sovereignty. The issue became very controversial in 2007, when members of the United States Congressional Black Caucus filed a bill to strip the Cherokee Nation of $300 million of federal funding, unless Freedmen descendents were permitted to become citizens of Nation. Freedmen were slaves or freed Negroes living in the Cherokee Nation prior to the American Civil War. The Cherokee Nation, the second largest Indian tribe in the United States, was one of the first governments to free slaves within its jurisdiction and granted them citizenship in 1866. The United States liquidated the assets of the Cherokee Nation in 1906, under a law providing for the forced assimilation of Cherokees and that no child shall be entitled to Cherokee citizenship thereafter. After seventy years of dormancy, Cherokees voted and enacted a law requiring all Cherokee citizens to have Cherokee blood. Freedmen descendents filed lawsuits, lobbied Congress, and conducted a media campaign seeking to become citizens of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation is the second largest Indian tribe in the United States. The media was quick to pick up the Freedmen descendants' claims that they were excluded as citizens of the Cherokee Nation today due to their African American race. The Cherokee side of the controversy is that anyone can be a Cherokee citizen, if they have at least one Indian ancestor by blood listed on the 1906 Dawes base roll. The controversy in the press focuses on race but the rest of the story, which involves treaty rights, is more intriguing. This controversy continues in federal and tribal courts.