Hello All,

The paper wall is not an accident, and it does not take a villain. In the book I describe six stages that tribal systems tend to move through as they grow. I call it drift.

1. Expansion: revenue and duties grow faster than systems mature.
2. Professionalization: outside staff and advisers arrive to manage complexity.
3. Gatekeeping: credentials and procedures start controlling access.
4. Self-Protection: defensibility comes before community impact.
5. Escalation: workplace conflict moves into enforcement and courts.
6. Normalization: repeated outcomes are treated as one-offs.

The paper wall lives at Stage 3. These stages do not require a single bad actor. They only require speed, fear of liability, and weak records.

Five questions help any council, board or committee member see where they stand:

• Who authorized it?
• What evidence supports it?
• How can someone appeal?
• What did it do to tribal access?
• What correction followed?

Which stage feels closest to your community? Reply and tell me. I read every answer.

Leroy Wandahsega II
Potawatomi Life