Our First Principles

These principles are the bedrock upon which our value system is built. They are a statement of our highest aspirations and the oldest elements of our culture. They represent our primary guidance, to be applied to any endeavor. The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development affirms these values:

• We affirm the vitality of Indian spirituality. In so doing, we acknowledge that economic progress is a means of giving expression to higher values in practical economic terms for individuals, families, communities, and tribes.
• We affirm that the gifts of the Creator are given for all to share and that wisdom comes from within the individual, community, and tribe. We are thereby committed to assisting Indian peoples achieve their business enterprise goals.
• We affirm our responsibility to preserve the environmental and cultural integrity of the land and people whom we serve. In so doing, we acknowledge our responsibility to future generations who will follow our time on Earth.
• We affirm our faith in the future of Indian peoples as distinct political, cultural, and economic communities. In so doing, we acknowledge that Indians are self-defining and that success is to be measured in terms of our Indian clients’ goals and aspirations.
• We affirm the values of our work—our volunteer leaders, our staff, our private-sector supporters—and we honor the work of our clients, by investing our expertise and our energies for a better future. Together, we contribute to the prosperity of all Americans.
• We affirm our full accountability to our clients, to Indian people and to those public and private institutions and individuals who support our mission. We recognize and accept responsibility for honesty and integrity in all our dealings.
• We affirm the spirit of cooperation, honor, and respect for diverse visions and perspectives. We observe this principle in how we govern and manage ourselves as well as in our interactions with others.
• We affirm the rights of all Americans and we pledge to further the cause of equal opportunity for all peoples.
• We affirm our commitment to working partnerships with private industry, with private philanthropy, and with all governments, in support of the enterprise development goals of the Indian peoples of America. We invite full participation in this worthy cause.
• We affirm our covenant to all Indian peoples to work for prosperity on their terms. We Mean Business for American Indians. We are serious in our commitment.