I was once asked by a native elder, what do you mean by "walking the "Red Road"? People throw that term loosely around, but what do you mean?" I was caught by surprise but had to agree. Many people I knew would use "walking the "Red Road" as some sort of cliché but when pressed, could not offer an explanation of what that meant.
As I see it, we are all on a journey until we walk on to the Spirit World. Though people will walk with us at various times, we are on this journey by ourselves. As I continue to walk and grow, there are three things that I have learned- respect, humility and honor-and they go hand in hand.

Respect
Fool's Crow was once asked what makes a leader and he thought for a while and then answered:

"First I would say respect. Respect for the responsibility and for the people."

Respect (Mawnawjiwin) is one of the seven major teachings of the Ojibwa people. It is also one of the four pillars of the Lakota. We are taught to show respect for our elders, for other people, for the gifts the Creator has given us and for the world around us. Life is cyclical and there is a cause and effect to our actions. If we treat others with respect, we ourselves will gain respect but if we are disrespectful, people will be disrespectful to us.
Our elders have earned our respect because of their age and the wisdom they have acquired. We let them go first, giving them the places of honor in our gatherings. According to the Midewiwin Code for Lifelong Wisdom, we are to "Honor the aged, in honoring them, you honor life and wisdom." Lloyd Shearer said,

"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these."

Sadly many talk about respect but they do not "walk the talk."
We must also respect the world around us. When we get up in the morning, we offer our tobacco (semah), when we go out on the lake, we offer our tobacco (semah), when we take the life of an animal, we offer our tobacco (semah) because we acknowledge that we are caretakers of that which is around us; there is interdependency between us and the environment.
We need to be careful that we take only what we need, not what we want. Over the years, areas have been stripped clean because of greed and invasive species have been introduced. A classic example of an "eco-system" run amok is Lake Michigan. "On the surface, Lake Michigan remains one of the world's biggest and wildest bodies of freshwater and one of its most popular fishing destinations. But under water, it is largely a man-made production… Most ominous, there is mounting evidence that the lake could be on the brink of "ecosystem shock," a food chain collapse caused by a non-stop invasion of foreign species."

Humility
The second trait that Fools Crow speaks about is humbleness or humility.

"Remembering the leader is a hollow bone that the creator uses to do good for his people. His life is for his people. His life is dedicated to them and serving them."

Humility (Duhbuhsaynimoowin) is also one of the seven major teachings of the Ojibwa.
Lao-Tzu understood this principle.

"I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men."

Humility is an interesting trait because it goes against human nature. The world around us is driven by greed, competition and the desire to excel. We want it all and we want it now. To be humble, one must see beyond themselves. We can compare ourselves with our neighbor and walk away thinking we are better than them. We can boast about being a big shot and think we are something greater than we really are. But if we would travel to the moon and look down, we would not even appear as a speck. If we hold our life up against eternity, it is but a wisp of smoke. A Serbian Proverb admonishes us to be humble.

"Be humble for you are made of earth."

There are many in Indian Country who I look at with respect and awe for the knowledge they hold but then when you talk with them, you learn they are simply on that same journey and they often admit that though it seems like they know much, they know very little in light of all the knowledge that is out there. Helen Keller said,

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble."

The challenge is to remain sincerely humble. Unfortunately, there are many who say, "Look at me, I am a humble man." However, a humble man would not draw attention to his humility. Henry Fairlie, a British author, said,

"The foundation of humility is truth. The humble man sees himself as he is.... The man who is falsely humble, we know from our own experience, is one who is falsely proud."

I have learned that is best to walk humbly before our Creator and before our fellow man.
If we walk humbly, we are less likely to get in trouble with those around us, we will care for the needs of others before we tend to our own wants and desires and we will hear Creator's voice, calling to us all so gently.

Honor
Honor is an oxymoron in Indian country because it is those who are being honored who are the ones who turn around and honor others for the privilege of being honored.
Honor can either be a noun or a verb. As a noun, it connotes recognition and as a verb, it means to pay tribute to someone. When we honor someone, we hold them and their accomplishments up for all to see. These people are often seated in the most prominent spots and often showered with gifts and titles. As with a King or Queen, they are the ones served, bowed to and shown honor by all who enter their court. They make decrees and people are expected to follow them. There is a tradition, however, within "Indian Country" that when a person is honored, they give something away. This past summer we attended a wedding on the Lac Du Flambeau Reservation and the couple held a "give away." Each person who attended the wedding took home a gift from the bridal couple. When we held my wife's graduation party in August, we did the same thing. We wanted to honor those who had come to honor my wife.
My daughter was honored as a Jr. Princess and with that title and crown came great responsibility. Royalty, as they are called, are allowed to dance behind the head dancers and at most give-aways they are called up to receive a special gift. The girls are also role models for other girls and as role models; they are expected to serve the people. It may be helping an elder find a seat at the Pow-Wow, helping out as needed or serving food at the evening feast.

In the same way we should look at leadership in the same vein. In many tribal villages, the poorest member of the tribe was the chief because he was constantly giving away and meeting the needs of the people. In essence, servant leaders should look at what they can bring to the table, not what they will take away from the table. Leaders are called to serve the people.

"(Joe) Bush (White Earth Pipe Carrier) lives in a small two-story home near the White Earth community of Pine Point in northwestern Minnesota. People knock on his door at any hour of the day or night, seeking his help. "They'll offer me tobacco. Can you say a prayer for me. I'm having family problems. I'm having a drinking problem. I want to get out of drugs. Can you help me." Joe Bush will climb the stairs to his bedroom, and bring down his pipe. He'll smoke and pray with the person who wants help. Then he sends them away, confident the Creator is listening. Joe Bush says he will carry the pipe until just before he dies."

Max Dupree said,

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader."

If we commit ourselves to showing respect for all those around us, seek to walk with humility, lest we become proud and arrogant, give honor to those who should be honored and when honored, taking that responsibility seriously, than this world would be a little better for all us.

Many thanks to Sondra Red Eagle for permission for non-profit distribution, provided this copyright remains intact and the content of this text is not altered in any way.