Ben Barnes
Shawnee Tribe
Shawnee, OK USA
"This soil that we walk upon, this history we all share, this is ours. Our ancestors built this place for us—for us, about us, to us."
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Ben's work combines: Government, Politics, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
If I could recommend anything, it would be to encourage young people to get involved with their Tribe's government as soon as they are able. Volunteer and be useful to your people. The projects that I have worked on for the Shawnee Tribe never feel like labor. While it is certainly true that there are days that are struggles, each day really is its own reward.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
My father was a member of our traditional religious community, so I was brought into that at a very young age.
2.
After high school, I immediately went to work in Indian gaming, which was a brand new industry at the time.
3.
I spent over two and a half decades in the Indian gaming industry, starting as a bingo worker and ultimately working my way up to Director of Tribal Gaming.
4.
No matter what hardships I went through, our traditional religious community was always there—that support and community inspired me to start thinking about joining our tribal government.
5.
In 2012 I became second chief of the Shawnee Tribe and served over seven years in that role before becoming chief.
6.
Now I currently serve the Shawnee Tribe as the elected chief of the Tribal Council.
