Lessons from Native North America

People of the native nations in the United States and Canada are currently experiencing a political resurgence, which could also be achieveable for Indigenous Australians, according to this year’s Narrm orator, Dr Manley Begay.

Dr Begay is Director of the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona, and co-director of the American Indian Economic Development Project at Harvard University. Born in Fort Defiance in the Navajo Nation in Arizona, he is proud of his lineage and his status as a global Indigenous citizen.

The Narrm Oration is hosted by the Murrup Barak Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development at the University of Melbourne, and profiles leading international Indigenous thinkers to enrich ideas and understanding about possible futures for Indigenous Australia. Narrm the Woiwurung word for the area around Port Phillip Bay

“For Indigenous North Americans, it’s a wonderful time to be alive,” he says.

“I never thought that in my lifetime I’d see a resurgence of this magnitude where Indigenous people and native nations are calling the shots. In turn, wonderful things are happening. That’s the story I bring to you. And it’s a good one.”

Dr Begay explains that this story rides a wave spreading across the Indigenous country of North America with the development of institutions and capabilities for nation-building – from the Mississippi Choctaws in the south and the central country of the Winnegagos of Nebraska to the Louden Tribal Council of Alaska, and throughout the length and breadth of Canada.

“In native nations, the per capita income is growing three times faster than that of the nation generally,” says Dr Begay. “This income comes from public and private enterprises and industries, including law enforcement, airlines, banks, health and energy foods, and sustainable agriculture.”

According to Professor Ian Anderson, Director of Murrup Barak, the value of the Narrm Oration is the opportunity it provides for a global conversation on issues of importance to Indigenous peoples.

“It’s good to have our thinking challenged and reaffirmed and to share ideas and experiences,” he says.

“Manley Begay’s story about economic development of Indigenous nations in North America is inspiring – but I don’t think it’s out of our reach in Indigenous Australia. We too could be at the cusp of some significant changes.

“And even though there are significant differences between our history and that of Native North Americans, Dr Begay’s key message is relevant, sound and timely. It reinforces the crucial need for good governance, good leadership, and robust institutions in our own context.”

Drawing from the North American experience, Dr Begay’s oration, titled ‘Indigenous Nation Re-Building Renaissance’, challenged widespread assumptions that surround debate about Indigenous issues worldwide and in the Australian context.

“Most problems faced by Indigenous nations are not particular to them,” Dr Begay says. “They are problems that societies face everywhere. Indigenous nations are no less capable of solving these problems than other nations. However, for historical reasons, Indigenous peoples often face constraints that other societies don’t. And this complicates the problem-solving process.

“Those who hold hard ideological positions will not find comfort with Dr Begay’s analysis,” says Professor Anderson. “He challenges those who dismiss the importance of the development of Aboriginal political and institutional structures, as he argues that this has been one of the underpinnings of economic development in Native America.

“But he also challenges those who are committed to a simple view of aboriginal self-determination with his emphasis on sound ethical principles of good governance.”

Like Professor Anderson, Professor Marcia Langton, Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies in the Centre for Health and Society in the Melbourne School of Population Health was inspired by Dr Begay’s address.

“His oration gave us a profound insight into modern Indian efforts in North America to rebuild their societies and establish effective Indian governments and businesses,” Professor Langton says.

“Truly, their progress in just three decades is astonishing, and we should be applying the principles that emerge from Dr Begay’s research, which is that good governance is possible when there are rules – and rule of law – developed by responsible indigenous people.