LVD Chairman: “Rent-a-Tribe” is an Offensive Slur that Should be Retired Permanently

An opinion column out today in the Port Huron Times Herald pushes back against the phrase “rent-a-tribe.” The article was authored by James Williams Jr., the longtime chairman of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Watersmeet, Michigan.

Williams argues that the term “rent-a-tribe” only seeks to diminish the success of entrepreneurial Tribes that have created businesses that are serving their citizens and the public good.

“When tribal businesses succeed, competitors and critics undermine them by asserting that Native American tribes could not possibly have created a successful enterprise themselves,” Williams writes. “Those who oppose the idea of American Indian tribes operating successful businesses that compete with non-tribal rivals sometimes use offensive terms to create the illusion of nefarious conduct. One of the ugliest assertions is that a tribe’s success occurs by ‘renting’ itself to non-tribal members, who abuse it for iniquitous purposes.”

“The term ‘rent-a-tribe’ grossly misrepresents American Indians, their intellectual abilities, and business acumen,” Williams continues.

Williams details the history of the “rent-a-tribe” terminology, which originated in gaming. He says that attacks on tribal casinos started when they became a threat to non-tribal gaming facilities.

“Opponents suggested that tribes’ practice of hiring capable vendors to provide services related to casino operations was akin to ‘renting’ sovereignty and detracted from the tribal ownership of the business, even though many non-tribal entrepreneurs engage in identical outsourcing practices when starting a new business in a regulated industry,” he writes.

Today, the offensive term is widely applied to Tribes operating online tribal lending businesses, which allow consumers to engage in business with geographically-isolated tribes through the internet. Williams says that the Lac Vieux Desert’s businesses are the largest employer in their area, and more than 40 percent of the Tribe’s general fund comes from their lending enterprise, improving cultural preservation efforts, housing, health care, law enforcement, elder services, education, and infrastructure.

“At a time when America needs greater civility and honest discourse, a term like ‘rent-a-tribe’ should be retired permanently,” Williams concluded. “This term is a shameful relic of the past. American Indian tribes’ pursuit to operate businesses to generate revenue and ensure their self-sufficiency and self-determination should be applauded, not villainized or discounted.”

Read Williams’ full column in the Times Herald here.