by K.E. MacPhie
Eugene Sommers was 28 when he was elected to the White Earth Tribal Council in 2022. In a role that is more often held by the middle aged and elders of the tribal communities, the most consistent criticism he faced during the election was his age, inexperience, and naivety. He ran on a platform of visionary economic growth and youth leadership development, and in his first two years, he is not only delivering on it for his own reservation, he’s making a road map and bringing the other tribes up with him.
On White Earth, he has consistently been the face of their landback efforts in the last legislative session. Whether it was leading a march on the Capitol, stepping in front of angry rallies and county hearings in Becker and beyond, or rushing to Strawberry Lake with the tribal DNR to stop unauthorized clearcutting on contended tribal land, his actions meant elder council members were able to focus on policy while he was the young guy speaking up in the crowded room.
He also advocated for investing in cannabis when Minnesota gave tribes a head start in legalization and led White Earth to be the first tribe to expand their recreational cannabis brand (Waabigwan Mashkiki) to share with other tribes for distribution. He goes out to federal conferences to represent the tribe, but more than that, he shows in the community for his people, too. All that in just two years.
So when the 2024 tribal elections came this summer, with his seat safe for another two years, he used his social media platform to advocate for a new generation of tribal council leaders around the nearby tribes in their own elections: Leon Staples Jr. at Leech Lake, Thomas Barrett Jr. at Red Lake, and Perry Drift at Bois Forte.
All of them won their seats. Some by very narrow margins.
Leon Staples Jr., age 30, has already taken a page from Sommers’ book on being everywhere all the time. He’s popping up around the reservation, but also in the cities at rallies and urban events to introduce himself, listen to the people, and share his vision of an economically independent tribal nation built on trade and cooperation with the other tribes and less on dependence from the federal and state government. He’s thinking outside the box, but staying humble and cautious to make waves only when it makes sense for the situation.
Perry Drift, another millennial at 32, ran because he saw a need for change in perspective. With only 300 Bois Forte Band members active in voting and making decisions for the 3,500 member tribe, he wanted to extend their reach off the reservation and really include and invite all of their people to be active voices in how things happen. He sees an untapped potential in disenfranchised enrollees who have felt powerless for far too long and hopes to re-engage them with this role. Drift is a fluent Ojibwemowin speaker and in his acceptance speech, he made a point to acknowledge his youth, but also to say that he carries the voices of his elders and is taking their advice into the office with him.
Thomas Barrett asked not to be featured in this article.
Now that they are in the roles, they are learning how to balance that aspirational thinking with the practical limitations and current needs of the tribes, weighing the visionary future with real hard needs of today. As Bois Forte Chairwoman Cathy Chavers said at her inauguration, “We need young people to stand up and come be involved…those of us who have been around for a long time, we have experience, we have knowledge, and we can help you.”
And while some of the Ojibwe tribes in the north are coming up together, they’re not alone in a new generation of leadership. The Prairie Island Indian Community in southeast Minnesota also elected a young President this year with Grant Johnson, 36, new to council, but with a background of twenty years of service to his community prior to that.
He’s a big picture planner and another advocate of Tribal Members getting involved in government and giving back to their community with visionary forward thinking of economic diversification, education and employment growth, and culture and language revitalization across the board. He has also led efforts to build positive relationships with the non-Native surrounding community, like Red Wing High School, who recently hosted a Wacipi in partnership with the tribe.
Another set of elections are going to happen in 2026. We’re breaking cycles and getting out of the rumored favoritism and vote buying that has kept others in positions of power for far too long. Tribal council candidates used to run on campaigns of fear and anger against the drugs and promising more handouts, but these young leaders truly believe in bigger and better for our people and they have radical ideas for how to make it happen.
So if you think you’re too young, too idealistic, or not from the right family to run, talk to these guys. Especially you young Native women. The Anishinaabe used to be a matriarchal society, and with the right women in charge again, we can build our reservations up to be the places our people want to return to, not where they try to get away from. And if tribal council isn’t your thing, find someone further along the path you want to be on and ask them to guide you and walk together in the same way this squad is showing all of us it can be done.
There’s a vision forming for Indian Country in Minnesota and these young leaders are bringing it into focus. Let’s put all our support for wisdom and guidance behind them and encourage even more young leaders to keep stepping up and creating dynamics that combine the advice of the elders with the ambition and energy of the youth.
