What does it mean to be an Indian?

At each ICC training, we always begin the session with the questions, "what is a tribe and what does it mean to be Indian?"  Its always interesting to hear each participant's definition. What makes it interesting, is that each of us as individuals respond with terms that reflect our own perspective. Some people will say a tribe, "is a sovereign group of people with common interests." Others may say it "is an entity which is recognized by the federal government."  As to the question of what it means to be Indian, the answer is always unique. Because we as native people are not all the same. It may mean something different to a person who is employed by tribal government than it means for an elder who advises the current leadership. Whether you are a tribal member or not, just take a moment to consider what your own definition of tribe is. If you are a native person, try to think of how you might describe your status to someone who doesn't know about tribal ways, customs or origins. We think you will find this exercise interesting to say the least.