Groups aim to develop new Native American leaders

As special adviser for Indian affairs at Arizona State University, former Navajo Nation president Peterson Zah spent the past 16 years trying to develop Native American youth leaders. He pressed students to get educated, return to their villages and build a future on the reservation. But that message began to ring hollow over the past year as his own tribe became mired in power struggles and corruption scandals. Zah says students came to him filled with confusion and embarrassment, asking how they can make a difference. "I was just agonizing over this," says Zah, 73, who resigned his Arizona State job this month to return to the Navajo Nation as an ambassador for tribal civility, service and integrity. "The only thing you can say is, 'That's one example of what we need to correct. We're training you to be different.' " Zah's angst is shared by many Native American leaders who see a breakdown in Indian country leadership at a time when the 565 federally recognized tribes of the United States are pressing for greater sovereignty, with support from the U.S. government. Dozens of Native American organizations and tribes are pressing to cultivate youth leadership skills through programs that often combine cultural heritage and public service, personal responsibility and civic action...more