This ad for the American Indian College Fund is one of the most intelligent that I have seen in quite some time. On one hand, it’s modern and stands aesthetically on its own. (And whoever is handling ad placement for AICF agrees and keenly placed it in the 2010 Men’s Fashion issue of New York Times’ T Magazine.)

On the other hand, it effectively demonstrates generations of traditions and values that reach back into time. Such is the responsibility undertaken by the young man featured, Mr. Alan Waukau, a Criminal Justice major from the Menominee tribe in Wisconsin.

More specifically, the tag line “Think Indian” makes me think of Apple’s “Think Different” campaign of the late nineties. It featured iconic figures that broke out of conventions of accepted thought, such as Einstein, Martha Graham, and George Clinton. By changing one word out of two, we still break out from the dullness of the mainstream but uphold native values at the same.

Total respect.