By: Cisco Minthorn, ITI Vice President of Government Affairs and Member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
November is Native American Heritage Month; a time when we reflect on the contributions Native Americans have made to U.S. society. From policymaking to driving the world’s most transformative innovations, Native Americans’ contributions are foundational to the country and continue to positively shape the daily lives of individuals around the world. To fully appreciate their scope, however, society’s collective understanding of Native identity must move beyond antiquated conceptions that fail to recognize Native Americans as modern members of society – and we must do more to ensure Native Americans are fully included throughout our workplaces and our communities.
Given the ugly history of U.S.-tribal relations, it’s important to understand and recognize what it means to be Native. Native American status is based on membership within a recognized tribal community, and the notion of tribal sovereignty is crucial to this truth. Native Americans aren’t only our noble warrior ancestors donning buckskin and feathers in history books, we’re your colleagues and friends wearing suits and dresses, as well. We are modern Americans with rich cultures whether we live on reservation or off, whether we wear beaded bolos or Italian silk ties, whether we cut our hair short or let our locks flow. We’re still here, we’re still Native.
Despite this truth, I regularly encounter outdated and stereotyped perceptions of how Native Americans should appear or present ourselves in daily life, whether it’s in social gatherings or professional meetings. This imposition that I and many Native professionals encounter reflects the idea that Native status depends on one’s appearance and life practices rather than membership in a federally recognized sovereign tribal nation. In other words, as a Native person, if you enjoy modern conveniences and live amongst non-Indians instead of on a reservation, you’ve somehow relinquished your Native status. It also implies that “real” Natives are somehow primitive and that either Native people cannot ascend to leadership roles in modern mainstream society, or that if one does, they’re not really a Native person.
The harmful belief that true Native Americans are primitive people incapable of managing their own affairs is built upon the United States’ history of oppression, discrimination, and marginalization of our peoples. Even though the Founders of the United States enshrined in the Constitution the recognition that tribal governments were sovereign entities and were to be dealt with as such, the United States government actively tried to eliminate tribes and native peoples from the continent instituting policies that led to attempted genocide, systematic theft of land, and forced cultural assimilation for the ensuing 200 years. Members of Indian tribes weren’t even considered U.S. citizens until 1924 and despite the Constitution and various legally binding treaties between the United States and the governments of the various tribes, it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the United States began to respect and support the notion of tribal self-determination. The United States’ current era of federal Indian policy, what scholars call the “Indian Self-Determination Era,” is marked by federal support for tribal governments managing their own affairs to benefit their citizens and has been a critical linchpin to the advancement of Native peoples in the United States.
Despite recent strides, the painful legacy of U.S.-tribal relations continues to harm the Native American community to this day. While many of us are professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders in our communities – both on reservation and off, Natives as a class often lag behind the general population. Compared to the general population, Native Americans have significantly lower median incomes, lower homeownership, increased health disparities, and twice the level of poverty. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this gap grew as Native Americans were increasingly left behind in the transition to remote work. This marginalization is fueled in part by inaccurate portrayals and negative stereotypes of Native peoples: from red-faced native sports mascots to the Indian Chief and Indian Princess Halloween costumes to the paper feather headdresses school children make and then wear as they learn about Thanksgiving. These caricatures force Native Americans in a box and complicates how Native Americans can successfully navigate the modern professional world. It harms the inclusion of Native Americans into the United States workforce.
To maintain the United States' technological and economic competitiveness, the inclusion of diverse talent is essential. Beyond taking a stand against harmful stereotypes and discriminatory behaviors, it requires intentional recruitment and support in empowering Native American communities. Native Americans currently make up less than .005 percent of the tech workforce in the United States but our industry is taking steps to level the playing field through various programs and initiatives. Here are some ways ITI member companies are helping to bridge the gap:
- Amazon leads an Indigenous affinity group that is an inclusive community of Indigenous employees and allies dedicated to making an internal and external impact that celebrates and elevates diverse Indigenous cultures from around the world through culturally aware technologies, services, and the marketplace.
- Cisco’s Native American Network is an employee resource organization dedicated to growing and empowering Native/Indigenous perspectives at that company and beyond.
- Intel’s Native American Network provides leadership, professional development, and networking opportunities to help Native Americans advance their careers. The network helps to recruit, develop, and retain Native Americans employees at Intel.
- Intuit’s Indigenous Peoples Network provides Indigenous employees and allies at Intuit a global platform and community for Indigenous employees and allies to have visibility, voice, and space. The Network also supports recruiting efforts to bring Indigenous people to Intuit.
- Microsoft’s Indigenous at Microsoft Employee Resource Group aims to amplify Indigenous voices and raise awareness of the importance of Indigenous heritage.
Native American Tribal sovereignty supports the advancement of tribal citizens, and if Native Americans as a class are to thrive, the U.S. government must honor and respect treaties and do more to support tribal self-determination. But society-at-large plays an important role as well: we all need to work together to promote a diverse and inclusive environment in our workforces and our communities for Native Americans starting with recognizing the complex history of United States' relationship with tribes and pushing back against harmful and antiquated tropes that serve to constrain Native identity.