Native Pride & The Power of The Butterfly Effect

Native Pride & The Power of The Butterfly Effect

By DNI MarCom
“Never underestimate the valuable and important difference you make in every life you touch. For the impact you make today has a powerful rippling effect on every tomorrow.” – Anonymous
Have you ever noticed a large impact to a whole string of actions that was a result of one seemingly small first action? As a child, I became interested in playing the guitar. My parents and siblings, like most, were thankfully very supportive of me. If I recall correctly, for Christmas that year, my older sister gifted me her first acoustic guitar. It was a dream come true!
What I didn’t expect, however, was that my parents would be buying me guitar-themed clothing for years to come after that. It got to a point where probably 75% of my shirts had guitars on them. Friends laughed at me, and it became a very tiresome experience for me after a while. Looking back, I see the humor in it and can laugh with them, but at the time, it was humiliating for my underdeveloped brain. This could be explained as an example of the butterfly effect. Although I viewed it as negative at the time, we can observe positive changes due to this effect in the workplace.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall
The fourth letter of our “SHINES” company culture acronym is N, which represents Native Pride. According to Jilene Joseph, the Executive Director for the Native Wellness Institute, Native Pride isn’t defined by documents, “but rather what is undocumented.” Native Pride for DNI in general might look a little different than the Native Pride of a Delaware Nation citizen. Non-native DNI employees remember the impact not only that they have on the tribe, but also the country. For our purposes, then, Native Pride can be better understood by non-natives by using the word “impact,” which could be described as “(impact on) have a strong effect on someone or something.”
This is where DNI’s unique profit distribution structure comes in—we’re different than most companies! We work to benefit the Nation/Tribe, Oklahoma and the US Government. The Delaware Nation is a small tribe of almost 2000 members, so earning contracts over larger tribes is unparalleled. Our success = more profits going back to the tribe; not the pockets of a single business owner. It’s more than just a revenue stream; it is a generational legacy. We hope to set an example to other small tribes through our success.
Here are some resources to help you gain a better understanding of Native Pride today!
Delaware Nation Creation Myth

Delaware Nation Documentary

The Water Gap: Return to the Homeland

• Native American Film Festival of the Southeast Award-Winning Documentary

Anadarko Areas of Interest

Anadarko Museum

National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians – Walking Tour

Southern Plains Indian Museum

• Historic Downtown Anadarko

First Americans Museum (FAM)

National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum