Strength behind the throne
By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian

Vice president of the Fort Peck tribal college prefers a steady but silent form of leadership

Still, when it comes time to speak up, she sits down.

Why?

"Because there are a dozen men there."

"When it comes time to speak before the people in Indian Country," Campbell said, "we hand it over to a man."

While many mainstream feminists would bristle at the suggestion that only men should stand before the crowd, Campbell welcomes the strict gender roles that define her life in Indian Country.

"I don't mind sitting back," she said. "To be honest, it's a chance to relax, drop into the background, let someone else do it for a change."

Campbell is a fourth-generation educator, all graduated from Northern Montana College's teacher school. From her non-native mother, she said, she inherited her love of education. From her Assiniboine father, her endurance.

"I always knew I was going to college," she said. "I always knew I'd work to make change on the reservation."

Despite her education, despite many years as a professional leader in Indian Country, Campbell still sits down when the microphone is passed.

That is not to say the men do not value her, she said. In fact, the men will sing a song of honor to the women before any community event, thanking them, in a generic way, for their contributions.

"In this society," she said, "there's no room for ego."

The women prepare the food, but the men serve it. The women organize the events, but the men sing songs of honor and respect for the women.

"It all goes back to our religion, our tradition," Campbell said. "That's what sets our gender roles. Today's Indian woman has a foot in both worlds. She is equal all day at the office, but unequal at night, during tribal events. In their work, women are out front if they choose to be. But within the religion, they have very clearly defined roles."

Campbell is comfortable in her role. In fact, she said, those roles can be a benefit for women who find themselves in leadership roles during the day.

"Indian women tend to run colleges and offices like a big extended family," she said. "That can be a very successful style of leadership. Family is very important here, and if you can blend the family traditions with leadership, you will find that both men and women are more comfortable. You can step out of your role, but only within certain boundaries."

That approach has served her well not only as a college professor and administrator, but also as president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, where she lobbies on behalf of tribal colleges.

"Education is the single most important key to our future in Indian Country," she said. "So far, women have led the way. But if we can keep tradition alive even as we place a foot in the modern world, I believe both men and women will embrace the classroom as the door to a better life."

Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at (800) 366-7186 or at mjamison@missoulian.com.