Boozhoo, indinawemaaganidog!

Hello, my relatives!

My name is Jonathan Jacobs (Gichi-Manidoo Anokii…Creator Works). I moved to Oklahoma from Pennsylvania a little over a decade ago with my wife and two daughters to be closer to our tribe and to learn as much as I could about our culture. Since then, I have become a proud graduate of Ottawa University, where I completed my undergraduate and graduate work, ultimately obtaining two Master’s degrees: one in Professional Counseling and the other in Addiction Counseling. Many of your already know me. For the past 2.5 years, I have faithfully served our tribe as the Director of Indian Child Welfare. It was during this time, that I had the privilege of meeting, defending, and reunifying many of our most vulnerable families. During my tenure as Director of ICW, I was elected president of the Northeast Tribes Child Protection Team, uniting the ICW workers of Northeast Oklahoma in our efforts to transform our community through the preservation of Native families and the protection of Native children. Until recently, I also served for a handful of years on the election committee and cemetery committee, am actively involved in learning our language, have participated in naming ceremonies and other traditional ceremonies, and am learning our arts.

Working in the Ottawa office, I also was given the opportunity to connect with our elders, get to know our amazing office staff, engage with the BIA on a variety of tasks/issues, and understand from an “insider’s” perspective the daily operation of our tribe, tribal businesses, and grants. This is perhaps one quality that sets me apart from other candidates running for office. I have been a tribal member far removed in distance from the tribe, struggling to figure out how to connect with my cultural and political identity. I have also been intimately acquainted with the daily workings of our tribe and have had the privilege of spending time with and learning from our elders. I’ve been on the “inside” as well as the “outside” and can understand some of the frustrations both “sides” feel. All of that said, as your potential Second Chief, there are a few things I would like you to know about me and my understanding of tribal leadership:

1. First and most importantly, I believe in servant-hearted leadership. As leaders, we do not hold positions for self-promotion, popularity, or love of power. Culturally educated tribal leaders understand we must prefer the well-being of the people over our own desires and that we never ask others to do something we would not do ourselves. By the same token, we also do not acceptprivileges or freedoms that we cannot make available to the rest of our people.

2. Our tribal government exists for the people and by the people. As a potential member of our Business Committee, I serve at the leisure of the general council. If at any time, I am not advocating for the needs, vision, and best interests of our people, then I must be removed from office.

3. I believe that as a Business Committee, we must welcome respectful disagreement and not be threatened by it. We must be secure in our personal identities and welcome challenges from fellow BC members as well as the general council. When someone raises a concern or wants change in a certain area, it should not be viewed as a personal attack. Rather, it is an opportunity to improve and grow. This makes us stronger as a tribe and ensures teamwork and accountability.

4. I do not believe our constitution in its present state adequately serves the needs of our tribe. Over 20 years ago, we drafted an updated version of the constitution, but it was never ratified. I suspect that even that updated version is now out of date. I believe we need a committee comprised of the general council that is focused on building upon the foundation laid by our ancestors to draft an updated constitution that takes into account our growth and modern technological advancements. This is an urgent need, as evidenced by the vastly different interpretations of how the tribe ought to abide by our constitution. This needs to be made a priority.

5. Transparency is critical – this is something we are growing in and can continue to grow in. I appreciate the response of our BC to the request of the tribe by making business committee meetings available on Zoom to other tribal members. I believe we can take it a step farther by limiting executive sessions to a much smaller portion of the overall BC meeting. My view is that there are only a handful of scenarios where executive session is necessary and that as leaders, while it may be uncomfortable at first, we can trust the general council with more information than we have been. As your future Second Chief, I am excited to search for ways to streamline our BC meetings so they can be efficient and focused primarily on hearing from and meeting the needs of our people.

6. As always, we need a concerted effort to expand our services to as many tribal members as possible. As a small tribe, this is a work in progress, but equality for all tribal members needs to be held as a primary goal…regardless of distance from tribal headquarters. In perhaps a small way, this is something I was working on in regard to expanding our school assistance program when I was employed by the Ottawa Tribe. 7. I do not believe that major financial investments should be made by the Business Committee without the feedback of the General Council and the oversight of an educated and proven financial advisor. Of course, it is not practical for this to apply to the daily operations of the tribe and our businesses. But proposals for new businesses, new buildings, large investments, and salaries for the BC should require feedback from General Council and not merely voted on by the BC. We need to develop a mechanism to put this in place.

8. The purpose of the BC is not to solve all the problems of the tribe, but to open the door for tribal members to develop solutions that come from the people and serve the needs of the people. I believe there are a host of untapped resources already present within our tribe that need to be accessed and utilized. It is an exciting time to be a member of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma! As I reflect upon the growth of our tribe and the expansion of our economic and political influence, I am inspired to build upon the foundation of our ancestors in such a way that honors them and that sets future generations up for success. Some of my most precious memories of the late Chief Cook were times when she accompanied me to the post office or sat down for lunch with me and told me about the early days of our reinstatement as a federal tribe. She spoke of elders pulling into a field with their cars and using 5-gallon buckets as chairs at our early general council meetings. I wonder if they dreamed about what we would become over the next 50 years. How tempting it must have been to despise the day of small beginnings.

Yet, here we are now, a tribe of over 3500, with several buildings, multiple businesses, a university, and educated and passionate tribal members. Gone are the days of a handful of tribal members gathering in a field with make-shift chairs. And yet their legacy compels us to embrace the discomfort that comes from growing pangs and to broaden our vision for who we are to become in the future. As we vote for our future leaders this year, let’s honor the foundation that has been laid by our ancestors, while opening ourselves up to the change that is required in order for us enter successfully into the next phase of

Ottawa history. United we stand, divided we Fall!

If you would like to ask me any questions, feel free to reach out:

(918)676-6575 myundone@gmail.com