A Place in the Tribe

I am currently in a literature course which is a study of various pieces of literature by or about Native Americans. I have always had a deep curiosity in the cultures of Native American people, and I think that most elementary age children also find learning about those cultures interesting.
While reading some of the material for the class, I started to really focus on the traditional/ historical descriptions of the tribe community. I think there is a lot that can be learned from it, such as the idea of having a purpose, or responsibility within the community. An example is evident in the following quote from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes

“Crazy Heart was a shirt-wearer, which was a great honor. He wore a yellow-and-blue shirt fringed with locks of human hair. He was listened to in our councils and the people sought his advice on all matters of importance. Good Fox, too, was respected for his wisdom.”

In our own society, respect is dictated by things such as wealth, status and power. In modern day, these forms of respect beget each other. Think about teachers, for instance, who work tirelessly to support children in the learning process so that they may grow up and have opportunity in the world; yet do this for little pay, and little respect within the society in general. I don’t know how many times I have heard people refer to teaching as "easy work", and complain that teachers make "too much money for what they do." Yet someone who is nearly criminal in their business life will make multiple millions of dollars and have unwavering respect.
In historical accounts of Native American tribe cultures, a job was dictated by your natural talents and skills, not your level of education. Respect was always given for your contribution to the community, regardless of job. Status was not about what position you held or what you owned, it came from sharing your wisdom.
Imagine if our own society treated people in this manner, if everyone had an opportunity to contribute based on their abilities and be respected for their contribution. Imagine how uplifting it would be to be honored and respected for the wisdom you could offer, even if that wisdom came from street smarts rather than an Ivy League education, or higher education.
We may not be able to change the way the world operates, but at least teachers have the opportunity to create a more welcoming community within their own classroom. This reminds me that every child has something to contribute to the classroom community and I think it’s important to find the good aspects of behavior and build its strength, rather than focusing on the negative end and treating it as a problem- this could be an approach to behavior management. For instance, if there is a child who is constantly disrupting class by talking or passing notes, this child could be recognized as a natural communicator (something that may be a disruption at times in school, but is actually a great attribute in the "real world") and given the job of reading class announcements, writing things on the board, delivering messages, or other things that utilize the skill of communication. There might be other students who would shy away from some of those classroom jobs because their talents lie elsewhere.
Since I don’t have any practical experience to apply this to yet, this is just an example off the top of my head. But I would like to remember what I learned from Native American tribe communities- to seek to find a role for everyone based on their strengths and to honor and respect all strengths (even when they appear at first as negative qualities) and help to guide them in a positive direction within the community.