Aanii
NIIGAANAKWAT
Leader Cloud
First of all I want to say migwetch to all of those who supported me in the recent election and for those who didn’t I would ask that you take another look at my experience and qualifications. Many of us can foresee some challenging times in the near future for our tribe and the quality of the leadership we put in place is critical. I have worked diligently to establish my career to be able to serve our community. My background is in tribal administration, finance, economic development and Anishinabe traditional teachings. Our traditions provided our ancestors with so much strength and this is a prime reason we are able to vote for our representatives today.
Greetings, I am announcing my candidacy for Grand Traverse Band Tribal Council. After careful consideration, serving the community as an elected official is another way that I would like to contribute to and build upon the work of our past leadership. I have an appreciation of the skills and abilities that it takes to serve the community and strongly feel that my experience can provide a balanced view and further contribute to positive community growth. As a Tribal Elder I am interested in working for the strongest community possible.
Education
BS in Electrical Engineering and AAS in Computer Science from Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech. Graduate of Bay Mills Community College Anishinaabe Language Institute with honors (recipient of the Frank Hugo award for excellence). Graduate of Charlevoix High School.
Community Service
Statewide Involvement: Founding board member of the Anishinaabemowin Teg (preservation of our language). Founding board member of the Nokomis Project (Michigan Native education facility). Past member of the Michigan Indian Child Welfare Board of Directors. Past Vice Chair of the Northern Michigan Ottawa Association. Member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), past member of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Native Grave Protection sub-committee. Founding committee member of Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Protection and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA).
Local Involvement: Men’s Group, Casino native art project, museum project, cemetery project, Historical Trauma workshop presenter, member of the Medicine Lodge Singers and recently Head Dancer for the Charlevoix Pow Wow.
Employment & Work Experience
I am currently the Director of Engineering at the Grand Traverse Resort. Prior to my current position, I worked for twelve years in a variety of capacities for the Tribal Government in Sault Ste Marie. My experience as a system supervisor for governmental services and casino gaming computer systems gave me an overall view of the financial operations of the tribe, in the economic development office (EDC) I promoted the diversification of tribal enterprises and more recently, I served as the Cultural Division Director and was responsible for the Anishinbemowin Language retention program, cultural training and Native graves protection policies. In the non-native world my work experience was 20 plus years as a senior project engineer for General Motors.
Family Life
I was born and raised in Charlevoix, Michigan. My father, Calvin Peters was a Grand Traverse Band member, WW2 Veteran, Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor with whom I worked running our family business. My grandfather on my dad’s side, Joe Pete, originated from High Island and my grandmother was Sophia Shocko. My mother, Lillian Peters was raised in Charlevoix and was a homemaker. My maternal grandmother was Rose McSawby.
My wife, Karen, is a member of Bay Mills Indian Community and is the Executive Director of Michigan Indian Employment & Training Services. We have a home in Traverse City. I have four daughters and nine grandchildren (the latest Riley, born April 26,2008).
Economic Development
Our tribe and its membership have always had an orientation for business/trading. Investment in the casino and hotel properties is critical in order to maintain the core business enterprises that support our tribe’s governmental operations and tribal employment. The expertise required in today’s business environment is ultra competitive and so far we have met the challenge. However, we need to take advantage of the current window of opportunity as there will not be many opportunities for revenue streams like those provided by a casino. The tribe’s financial goals need to be clearly defined so that we, the community, understand long term strategy and goals. When we are able to leverage the skill set of our employees and membership into functional enterprises, be they casino, hospitality related or high tech we can fully utilize the expertise that we have worked so hard to develop while we continue building upon our long term growth path. Tribes have moved from day to day subsistence to owner/operators of multi-million dollar corporations. We need to properly manage our business enterprises while we retain our family/community orientation as that is what makes us, as native people, so unique from mainstream business enterprises.
Anishinaabe Language
As Anishinaabe people are able to learn more about their teachings we can see that the basic values and beliefs maintained by our ancestors still have much to admire and a lot to teach us. Many of the traditions and practices in the recent past have focused on what is termed “expressive culture”, Pow Wow dancing, Pow Wow singing, beadwork. Cultures can change and adapt to new environments just as our members have changed and adapted the new environments around us today. We are also learning that the deeper roots of our heritage and our clan structure provide the basis of the Anishinaabe world view and that world view can still serve us today. Our relationship to the world around us and how we treat each other is what makes us a unique people on the face of the world. The primary link to our past has always been our language (anishinaabemowin). I have always worked to strengthen the language from being a non-functional learning experience of a few favorite words to a fully functioning language used on a daily basis. As founding member of Anishinaabemowin Teg, a Canadian/US organization that puts on an annual conference attracting Anishinabe people from across the great lakes, I have found that retention of the language requires both a serious tribal commitment and a financial investment if we are to retain that portion of our sovereignty.
Health Care
The cost of health care in today’s society is rising for everyone. At the present growth rate we are approaching a point where the cost of our health care will be priced outside the affordability of the majority of enterprises here in the US. We need to continue to search for ways to take care of our health needs through partnerships with service providers and others whenever possible. At some point in the near future we may need to make hard decisions regarding what we can and cannot afford to provide members and employees with in terms of health care. Traditionally, we have always tried to watch out for our little ones and our elders, this is a path that we have to accomplish to the best of our ability. Our employees work hard and their families need the protection of a solid health care system so that they too can work without an extra burden. Comprehensive health care discussions and decisions are not easy and require foresight, a good business sense, solid planning and quality implementation. As a community, a carefully considered process is critical when developing alternatives to our current health care delivery system.
Communication
At one time tribal decisions were made in consensus where everyone had input which created community buy-in on the ultimate decision. Trying to retain that decision making process in today’s business environment is next to impossible due to the “time is of the essence” attitude in today’s business world. However, “time is of the essence”, should not prevent the government from sharing as much information as possible so that the membership is informed about the decisions that are made on their behalf. Communication is a tool that can be used to keep the membership informed without slowing down the governmental and business activities. The Tribe could use some improvements in the Tribal Newspaper and even the new the tribal web page so that members are more fully aware of current activities and department developments. Another innovation that has been used in other communities is tribally owned and operated radio stations. One community that I know of broadcasts Bingo, job openings and native perspectives to the tribal community and the community at large. At a National native meeting, the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) reviewed their programs for tribes that assist in reducing the amount of red tape required for station licensing. A tribally owned and operated radio station may be another possible alternative for keeping the native and non-native public informed.
Education
At the recent spring banquet honoring the graduates for the Grand Traverse Band there was a great feeling of pride in the accomplishments of those who graduated. I strongly support the value of education regardless of the age of the participants or the level of education being sought. We must provide tribal support as a priority to those who see the need to educate themselves from kindergarten through graduation and beyond. Additionally, learning about our culture will enhance your life path and is also a vital part of the educational process. In working with Title 4 and Title 7 programs I saw it was necessary to learn how to interface with school administrators and teachers in a way that provided the best results for our children. The tribe can and should support students through investment into education and student support methods that reduce obstacles to a quality educational experience.
Cultural Revitalization
In recent months, I have been part of a committee working with tribal behavioral health. We have been addressing some of the components of “cultural revitalization”. Cultural revitalization is a term that addresses liberating humanity required because of what indigenous people have had to experience in the past. To the credit of our ancestors we are still maintaining our homeland and were not removed west of the Mississippi during the relocation era. The price that we paid for our perseverance is a condition termed “historical trauma”. Cultural revitalization establishes a path to liberate our humanity and put in place a better community for our descendants. Addressing cultural revitalization is a primary reason why I am running for tribal council. Support for this effort will increase the over all health of our community in a real way, a commitment like this requires investment and perseverance. Please let me know what your needs are and if you have any questions for me. I would appreciate your support for my election to Tribal Council. Miigwech and please vote.
Contact Information
Email me with any questions: info@gtbpeters.com
Site visitors: