Building Authentic Relationships in Native Communities: What I Learned as a non-Native School Leader
As a non-Native school leader who embraces the idea of Native Peoples' Educational Sovereignty, I ensure some principles are foundational to my leadership practices. For the next few weeks, I will share one of these principles. The first principle is Authentic Relationships: Relationships built on trust are critical to leading in Native communities. As the non-Native school leader seeks to establish relationships within the Native community, it is essential to remember that relationships happen organically. Relationships can’t be forced. A personal example might help to make this more clear.
After serving four years in a Native Alaskan Village, I began working on a leadership framework for non-Native school leaders who serve in predominately Native schools. I wanted to develop a framework to help the non-Native school leader approach their leadership by decolonizing their leadership practices, prioritizing Indigenous Knowledge, focusing on culturally affirming practices, and building authentic collaboration with Native stakeholders. I was so excited about this work that I talked about the framework daily to anyone who would listen. One day, I was sharing my thoughts with one of our Native cultural leaders. I said, “The non-Native school leader should do this’. “The non-Native school leader should do that.” After a few minutes, my friend said, “You know you are one of them.” I said, “One of what?” She said, “A non-Native School leader.” She said, “You are not Native”. At that moment, I realized just how out of line I was.
That experience reminded me of the need to remember my guest status within the native community. Even though I had nothing but good intentions, To presume otherwise was disrespectful. I should add that my friend did not intend to be rude to me. Still, she was reminding me of the importance of Native Educational Sovereignty. I never forgot that lesson. As non-Native school leaders serving in Native communities, our presence on Native land is not a right, and our presence is a reminder of the impact of colonization; therefore, we should lead in a way that reflects that knowledge. The leader should remember that prioritizing building solid relationships with Native communities, organizations, and educators involves listening to their perspectives, respecting their expertise, and working together to develop culturally responsive and relevant educational programs.
