In recent years, many Native scholars and leaders explored leadership from an Indigenous perspective by situating it in place and within tribal values reflective of that place, with an understanding that for Native people, place and identity are entwined. Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) operate in a multifaceted web of social, educational, economic, and political conditions. This complexity contributes to tensions because the vision of tribally controlled education asserts tribal sovereignty, which is often contradictory to the ways that American educational practices are designed. To understand this complexity, this article explores the foundation of TCU leadership development, the vision of the movement's founders, and the role of tribal values and self-determination.