The White House Tribal Natons Summit began last Wednesday morning. During the afternoon the attendees heard from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in separate appearances. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Monday was not able to attend in-person.
December is an exciting time to be in Washington, D.C. The glittering lights of the National Christmas Tree and the 30-foot-tall National Menorah that stands on the northeast side of the Eclipse near the White House are beautiful to view. This week, I witnessed Washington's holiday splendor as I covered the Native CDFI Network’s annual policy summit, an important U.S. Department of Labor announcement, a Navajo Nation banquet, and the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit. The two-day Tribal Nations Summit hosted by the Biden administration and the Department of the Interior was the peak of a busy week for me — and many others.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) announced that the National Park Service will be collaborating with Tribes on a new theme study, which will focus on the Indian Reorganization Period and help the understanding of an important chapter within American history. Theme studies from the National Park Service aim to provide national historical context for specific topics in American history or prehistory, as well as evaluation guidance and a list of properties for study as possible future National Historic Landmarks. This theme study will build on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and other efforts to ensure that Native American history is recognized as American history.
The Department of the Interior announced it’s taking steps to increase Tribal co-stewardship of lands and waters, incorporate Indigenous knowledge into the Department’s work, and preserve and protect sacred sites around the country. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) made the announcement at the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit, where the Biden-Harris administration and Tribal leaders discussed ways the federal government can invest in and strengthen nation-to-nation relationships as well as ensure that progress in Indian Country continues. In 2021, Haaland and the Secretary of Agriculture signed Joint Secretary’s Order 3403, committing to Tribal and federal co-stewardship of federal lands, waters, and wildlife through collaboration and cooperative agreements with Tribal Nations.
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