Michael A. Langley

A version of this appeared in Tilixam Wawa March 2021

I grew up the fourth of five boys. My oldest brother is ten years older than me and over eleven years senior of my younger brother. We had our own garden and almost anything that needed fixing or creating was done by ourselves. The decade of the seventies was a tough time for folks, and, in my world, money was not something that could be squandered. Frugality was pounded into our very core. All of us boys were expected to help as we could. For my younger brother and I, we were sometimes given the task of straightening nails to be used again. That is how frugal we were. Everything was repurposed. 

Nearly every time we worked on a project, from fence lines, construction, or repairs, when completed, my father and my grandfather had a saying they repeated. It always marked the conclusion of our work. We would all stand back a little and they would say, tongue-in-cheek, “Well, it is good enough for an Indian.” The insinuation was that we could accept it being less than ideal. It is a well-known response to the consistent disappointment tribes experienced from the lack of the federal government meeting its obligations. We learned to make do with what we have. 

This statement also marked that it was time to get back to playing instead of working. As a child, this was of foremost importance. However, it clearly made an even more lasting mark on me. My thoughts have evolved over time as I have reasoned out why they said this so often. One thing I never considered, nor should you, was a lack of effort or pride in being Native American. There were plenty of other lessons so that I never considered that to be their meaning. 

Indeed, Grandpa Roy and my father, Leonard, both taught us to work for our goals. If I wanted to be better baseball player, it was up to me to improve myself. No sports camps for this. Take an ax and go out to the forest and hack at a stump to build wrist strength. Play wiffleball as often as you could. Go running on your own to build up conditioning. Do not rely on the coaches and their practices. They told me, as an Indian living in a non-native society, you must work twice as hard to be recognized, to make sure they had to play you. In the end, winning would be more important to those coaches and your talent would overcome any preconceived biases they may have. These statements made challenging work necessary to being seen. No excuses. 

Folks who lived out here in Grand Ronde might remember the home my father’s family lived in. Although my siblings and I grew up in Tillamook, we often drove by it, witnessing its steady decline and providing another opportunity to hear the stories. This home was more aptly called a shack. There was no plumbing, water had to be hauled from the creek. This explains why Dad did not let the water continuously run when he takes a shower. He gets wet, turns off the water, washes himself, and then turns the water back on to rinse. They only had an outhouse for a bathroom, and if you were fancy or a wealthy Indian, you might even have a two-seater. There originally was no floor in this home. This fascinated me and was also one of the important lessons learned from the matriarchs of my family, including my non-native mother Rose. 

For it was not only these native men that talked to me about pride, frugality, and hard work. My Shoshone-Bannock Grandma Delia underlined this in her actions and in her stories. Both Grandma and Mom had the same philosophy and lived it. I once wondered and asked Mom how one could keep the home clean with a dirt floor. There were two parts to the answer. The first, the usage of rugs and where there were no rugs, the dirt was hard packed and gave a shine because Grandma kept it so. Mom said you might not even notice it was dirt because she kept it so well. This is what lead to the second answer. 

Grandma Delia always said it does not matter if someone is poor or rich. There is simply no good reason for a messy and unclean home. One does not have to have money to have pride in how well kept the home is. If you choose to accept a messy and unclean home that is a choice. This lesson transcended everything, not just cleanliness. Our choices and what we give attention to is the most important consideration. Even if we are poor, we must stand proudly in who we are. No excuses. 

These things have greatly shaped me. As the years went by, being good enough was something that I could not accept, even jokingly. Continuous improvement became something that I religiously believe in. This topic is also important when considering budgets. Too often, we decide a building is “good enough” as a means of reducing costs while then having to confront a later problem, and more costs, because of not adequately meeting the initial existing need. Our procurement building now being built seems to be avoiding that pattern. Another example is programs developed with all good intentions, but not adequately funded, nor revisited and improved upon to meet the ever-changing demands. 

I entered the field of operational internal auditing because it seeks continuous improvement, not as a punishment of existing practices, but as part of a team and learning approach that fits neatly into our tribal values. Unfortunately, the auditing profession suffers from all the bad connotations associated with its past; a compliance focused approach with checklists that yield yes or no type results. Many still think of IRS audits and the unpleasant experience that involves. The new approach to operational audits is much more than that. The focus is on how efficient and effective the policies and practices are being carried out. It relies on identifying the goals and objectives of each department or function to help improve on the delivery of them. After all, how else can something be improved upon if one does not even know the measurements of success (or failure)? Not knowing these allows excuses. 

Now, when I hear “good enough for an Indian,” I turn it on its head. The bar must be set high to be good enough for a Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Indian. That is what my discussions will focus on this coming year. 

Be well and walk in a good way.