Though there has always been space for collaboration and egalitarian decision making within traditional tribal polities, there was also a stable, shared understanding of our place in the world.

While a successful team approach requires the voicing of multiple ideas and concerns, there also needs to be an agreed-upon foundation of the principles and values guiding the decision-making process.

For our ancestors, that unifying factor was found through careful observation of the life-giving earth, and subsequent adherence to the teachings born out of that focused awareness. Even, and perhaps especially, in this modern age, we can retain our identity as Anishinaabek by acknowledging the essential preeminence of the living world. From that perspective, we can then work vigilantly to align our actions with our role as stewards and dependents.