LaDonna Harris founded Americans for Indian Opportunity in 1970 to serve as a catalyst for new opportunities for Native Americans. AIO's guiding assumption is that change is inevitable and necessary, and never has this statement been truer than it is today. Native American communities both urban and rural are experiencing internal change like never before. External change throughout the United States and the world is affecting every community on earth. We must be ready for change. We must be able to adapt to change and accept it as a constant. And we must prepare for it with a firm sense of cultural identity and be able to deal with change while maintaining our tribal values.

Today, and throughout its history, AIO incorporates traditional tribal values to promote innovative problem-solving, to develop leadership, and to create contemporary institutions for the new millennium. By finding new ways to manage change, strong tribal communities can make positive contributions while maintaining a strong cultural identity. Governed by a national Board of Native American leaders, Americans for Indian Opportunity seeks to explore and share the experiences, diversity and values of Native Americans, and AIO contributes these ideas to enhance and influence global discussion. AIO is a national non-profit organization and is headquartered on the Santa Ana Pueblo reservation in New Mexico.

AIO is devoted to issues relating to tribal leadership and governance. AIO bases its work on three major premises. First, the strength of Indian peoples, both collectively and individually, is in the tribe. It is our culture - family, community and tribe--that define our role in society and our self-identity. The second philosophy that guides AIO is that strong tribal communities and governments can have a positive impact on the world. The third conviction that drives AIO is that tribal governments are sovereign units of government, and integral parts of the U.S. Federal system of government, with the right and power to determine their own futures.

Americans for Indian Opportunity creates coalitions among tribes and between Indians and non-Indians to enhance the cultural, social, political, and economic self-sufficiency of tribes. AIO builds on the foundation of traditional tribal wisdom and creates new pathways to incorporate those values in a modern context. Throughout its existence, AIO has forged relationships with people and organizations. AIO draws upon this resource of talent and knowledge to increase the role and participation of tribal governments within the social, economic, and political systems of the United States and our global economy. Realizing that tribes are forever changing and adapting to new demands and conditions, AIO provides opportunities for tribal decision-makers to work through complex contemporary issues.

In conjunction with our national agenda, Americans for Indian Opportunity collaborates with the international community to explore and examine how the experiences, diversity and values of Native Americans can enhance and influence the global discussion. As many minorities throughout the world struggle for autonomy and as tribal and ethnic strife becomes the focus of unrest on nearly every continent, Tribal America has a unique opportunity to make positive contributions.

Return to Top

To deal effectively with change, tribes must have strong and confident leadership. In 1993, Americans for Indian Opportunity launched the American Indian Ambassadors Program to foster leadership growth among the Native American community. A prestigious group of Advisors and the AIO Board of Directors designed the Ambassadors Program to rekindle dormant vision, refresh current leadership and empower emerging leaders to create avenues for Native Americans to express their cultural values in all arenas of contemporary life.

The winner of the Margaret Mead 2001 Award, the Ambassadors Program is the only leadership initiative in the United States encouraging participants to weave their respective traditional tribal values into a contemporary reality. The Ambassadors Program provides a creative combination of mentorship, personal reflection, dialogue with national decision-makers, community involvement, communications training, and a discovery process into tribal values. While participating in the program, the Ambassadors remain in their communities and come together in appropriate locations, in and outside the United States, for at least four group meetings, focusing on the individual, the community, the tribe, national Indian issues and international Indigenous concerns.

More than one hundred and fifty emerging tribal leaders have successfully participated in the Ambassadors Program and are now part of a national network. They are well connected to Indian and non-Indian national leaders and they have a global perspective resulting from their experiential learning activities. Through group discussions and self-reflection exercises, the Ambassadors are self confident and strong in their identities. By reaffirming and learning to use tribal values in leadership roles, the Ambassadors leave the Program more committed to making positive contributions to the world and to serving their communities.

Through the Ambassadors Program, AIO is compiling information about how Indian leadership differs from Euro-American leadership styles. This material is being added to a paper that we hope to publish in the future.

More>>

Return to Top

At the heart of the organization is Americans for Indian Opportunity's ongoing projects with federal departments and agencies. The past several years have seen continued success and deepening relations between tribal governments and federal agencies. AIO has studied and collected information on how tribal governments function within the U.S. federal system. This work clearly shows that many underlying problems in government-to-government relations arise from the lack of defined institutional pathways for tribes and federal agencies to interact appropriately.

After holding a series of national and regional meetings, recommendations emerged from which tribal leaders, federal officials, and AIO developed a strategy to enable the full participation of tribal governments, as units of government, in the federal system. AIO presented this strategy to President Clinton and his cabinet. This strategy emphasizes the need for a tribal government liaison within the White House's Intergovernmental Affairs Office, and institutionalized Indian Policy Statements for each federal agency.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's, AIO was instrumental in the adoption of government-to-government Indian Policy by the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. AIO and others worked with the Clinton White House to ensure institutional recognition of the unique status of tribal governments which resulted in a Presidential Order that requires every federal department and agency in the Administration to adopt Indian policy. AIO now is working with federal agencies to create guidelines for carrying out their government-to-government policies. AIO held regional consultations with tribes for the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) helping to create the first Native American organization dedicated to enhancing intergovernmental affairs between tribes and the EPA. Most recently, AIO conducted Tribal Government Training seminars to key Department of Energy staff, including the Secretary's senior staff and DOE division heads.

AIO continues to work closely with many federal agencies and departments on the institutionalization of their relationships with tribal governments and helps agencies establish effective guidelines for carrying out government-to-government policies.

Return to Top

In every task undertaken, Americans for Indian Opportunity promotes a deeper understanding of contemporary tribal reality by bringing together diverse groups, initiating dynamic discussions on a wide variety of issues, and by sharing information and resources. Daily, AIO acts as a clearinghouse for the free dissemination of many types of information, the foundation of which is a database of more than 4,000 records including tribes, organizations, agencies and individuals. As part of this educational role, AIO officers and staff make many presentations and speeches throughout the year and Laura Harris, Executive Vice President, travels extensively nationally and internationally to participate in meetings and conferences, ensuring that the voice of Tribal America is heard.

To encourage coalition building and to establish better communications, AIO hosts many conferences, forums, dinners and receptions for federal officials, tribal leaders, and national organizations. By holding forums of expert individuals to address topics facing tribes, AIO brings to the forefront leaders who can tackle the issues of the day. From AIO's efforts many national organizations have been formed, including the National Indian Housing Council, the Council of Energy Resource Tribes, the National Tribal Environmental Council and the National Indian Business Association.

AIO also takes pride in showcasing contemporary Indian talent in the arts and humanities by sponsoring book signings and art exhibitions, which support the cultural achievements of Indian people.

Return to Top

As we move closer to a true global community, AIO plays an increasing role in activities world-wide and maintains an international presence through our Indian leadership training program, by working with several international organizations, and by hosting forums for visiting international guests. AIO collaborates with the Inter-American Indian Institute (headquartered in Mexico City under the auspices of the Organization of American States) and encourages greater U.S. involvement. Additionally, AIO works with indigenous leaders of the Americas to develop strategy to ensure better funding of the Indigenous Peoples Fund created by the Inter-American Development Bank. AIO will also play a role in the planning of the U.N. World Conference against Racism to be held in South Africa in the fall of 2001.

AIO's leadership project, the American Indian Ambassadors Program, includes an international experience. A group of International Advisors, made up of internationally active experts, assists AIO in the development of the Ambassadors Program and in influencing international affairs, especially affairs concerning Native peoples of the Americas. Also, the participants in the leadership program travel outside the United States to learn more about other cultures, political systems and the commonalities of all Indigenous peoples.

Return to Top