Trahant: Expand Tech in Indian Country
The Native population has a greater percentage of young people than the U.S. as a whole. That’s one more reason Native communities need to be focusing on developing technology as a tool for education and economic development, says the president of the National Congress of Native Americans in his annual State of the Indian Nations Address.
</p> <p>We are at a moment in history where we really ought to be investing more resources in young people. Yet, instead, as President Obama said in his State of the Union, we’re loading up this generation with student debt — a total that now exceeds a trillion dollars. This is the logic behind the president’s call to make community college free. A proposal that will benefit Indian country, including tribal colleges and universities.</p> <p>But this is also about technology. We need a structure to prepare people for jobs that don’t yet exist.</p> <p><!--break-->This is what President Cladoosby said: “The last technology census of tribal nations took place before Google, Twitter or smart phones even existed. The best data we do have indicates an ongoing digital divide. While 73 percent of Americans have access to broadband, in Indian country, it’s only 10 percent …</p> <p>“We need a comprehensive and updated study of our technology needs to advance more common sense initiatives like this one to increase our participation in the Digital Age.”</p> <p>We do need more information. The Digital Age doesn’t look like it did even 10 years ago. Back then “The Facebook” was a startup — and certainly not much of a presence in Indian country. Today Facebook is in most homes, on our phones, and a presence linking Native America in ways that television networks never did. On social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Native Americans are creating, telling stories and building communities. This is just the beginning of this digital age.</p> <p>It’s not just social media either. It’s a whole of commerce, activity, and potential.</p> <p>So what does it mean? Well, once we figure out how to unlock these digital tools, we will never again be faced with watching our children leave a community just to get a job. We can create our own jobs. Anywhere. In a village in Alaska, a reservation in Montana, or, yes, in a city. But the choice will be ours.</p> <p>But for that to happen we need to prepare young people better. They need to have a bundle of tools, ranging from computer science to video production.</p> <p>Some of this preparation starts with schools helping young people get basic skills in math, science and writing. But much of this Digital Age starts with imagination.</p> <p>The beauty is that we now live in a world where storytelling is a value. And that’s a value that Indian country already understands and has for thousand of years.</p> <p><em>Mark Trahant holds the<a href=)
Atwood Chair at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He is an independent journalist and a member of The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. This story has been reprinted with permission from Indian Country Today.
