I live in Juneau, so technically this didn’t affect me. But I listened. I watched. And from my prospective the arguments made by the side that won were full of fear or trying to sell apathy.
Maybe the change makes sense to some, but the way it was communicated didn’t help people like me understand. It just felt like scare tactics and manipulation. Reminder I’m an outsider looking in. I don’t have too much connection to the inner workings and politics.
In times like these, I want leadership that explains things clearly and respects all tribal citizens, not just the ones who show up in person or have the right last name.
It makes me wonder why I should keep voting for delegates. Why care? Why vote when I don’t qualify for most services, don’t work for tribal entities, and probably would never get elected if I ran to be a delegate.
I’m still figuring that out. I love my culture. I care about our people. But I’m also tired of always feeling like an outsider with Native politics even when my life revolved around language revitalization and working in the tribe for a short time.
Note: I do care a lot about the funding and services my Tribe manages because it takes care of the most needy in our communities. Which I love. It’s just hard for me to figure out is it even productive for me to keep informed?
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