The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians was featured in An Unlikely Solution, a film about the online lending industry in Indian Country. Still image: An Unlikely Solution

Business | Opinion

James Williams: Don't diminish our success with 'rent-a-tribe' slur

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, like several other tribes, operates an online lending business. Chairman James Williams Jr. defends the operation from claims that the Michigan-based tribe is merely being used to "rent" its sovereignty:

It is sad in this day and age that some people believe American Indian tribes are incapable of addressing their people’s basic needs. For decades, tribes have created businesses to serve their citizens and the public good. But it seems that when tribal businesses succeed, competitors and critics undermine them by asserting that Native American tribes could not possibly have created a successful enterprise themselves.
Those who oppose the idea of American Indian tribes operating successful businesses that compete with non-tribal rivals sometimes use offensive terms to create the illusion of nefarious conduct. One of the ugliest assertions is that a tribe’s success occurs by “renting” itself to non-tribal members, who abuse it for iniquitous purposes.
The term “rent-a-tribe” grossly misrepresents American Indians, their intellectual abilities, and business acumen.
American Indian tribes are sovereign; they have the inherent authority to govern themselves free from outside interference. Sovereignty is acknowledged by the federal and state governments through treaties, laws, executive orders, and intergovernmental agreements, and confirmed by centuries of U.S. Supreme Court and lower court precedent.