The Biden administration stands up for tribal nations

On Monday and Tuesday, President Joe Biden reconvened the Tribal Nations Summit for the first time since 2016. Biden and first lady, Jill Biden hosted the summit at the White House for the first time. Tribal leaders from the 574 federally recognized tribes were invited to attend the virtual event to discuss the nation-to-nation relationship with federal government officials.

The summit hosted panels that focused on topics that impact indigenous communities such as the concerning higher rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths among Native Americans, education and preservation of Native languages, and strengthening public safety and justice in light of the missing or murdered indigenous people epidemic.

In 2020, Biden nominated the first Native American to serve as his Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland. In her opening remarks at the summit, she said, “Our voices have been given a new platform, and I am just one of those who have taken this historic opportunity to move past the days of inaction and apathy, to take Native issues to the forefront of policy discussions, and to ensure tribal consultation is the accepted way of doing business in Indian country.”

Shannon Holsey, President of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, complimented the Biden administration’s commitment to upholding the federal trust responsibility to tribal nations, a doctrine held by the Supreme Court based on treaties and cases such as Seminole Nation v. U.S. (1942). She said that the trust responsibility along with tribal sovereignty and self-governance “should be the cornerstone of federal Indian policy.”

Holsey and Haaland both emphasized that Biden makes a point to consult Native leaders before policies are developed, compared to past U.S. leaders who frequently would consult afterwards. “This administration understands that tribal leaders know [their] communities best and that the right solutions are created when tribes consistently have a seat at the table,” said Haaland.

This year, Biden issued a presidential proclamation declaring the month of November as Native American Heritage Month. In commemoration, he announced the following five new initiatives at the Tribal Nations Summit:

1. A new initiative involving 17 departments and agencies to protect tribal treaty rights.
2. A new initiative to increase tribal participation in the management and stewardship of federal lands.
3. Incorporating tribal ecological knowledge into the federal government’s scientific approach on climate change.
4. Taking action to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape in Northwest New Mexico from future oil and gas drilling and leasing.
5. An executive order addressing the crisis of violence against Native Americans.

Biden signed the executive order alongside Secretary Haaland on Monday. The legislation reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act of 2013, which granted tribes the authority to exercise jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders who commit violence on tribal lands. In the new order, the jurisdiction is expanded to include other offenses like sex trafficking, sexual assault, and child abuse. The order also directs the development of a strategy to improve public safety for Native Americans.  

“These efforts … are a matter of dignity. That’s the foundation of our nation-to-nation partnership. That’s what this summit is all about,” said Biden. Since taking office in January 2021, he has appointed more than 50 indigenous people in high-level positions.

Flanked by tribal leaders including Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Biden signed the Infrastructure and Jobs Act into law on Monday night. This bill includes the largest investment in tribal infrastructure to date – more than $13 billion. The funding will go towards projects for clean drinking water, high-speed Internet, roads and bridges, environmental cleanups, and more. In 2019, it was reported that in the Navajo Nation alone, at least one-third of the population didn’t have access to clean drinking water. As Biden pointed out, “tribal lands have been chronically underfunded for generations.”

At the Tribal Nations Summit, Jill Biden announced the Native Language Memorandum of Agreement, designed to bring the entire government together to promote and support the preservation of Native American languages. She said, “There is still a lot of work to do. And it’s urgent, as many elders were lost in this pandemic. The very leaders who keep the heart of tribal culture alive. We must protect these languages and traditions now more than ever.”

Speakers of such languages like Navajo note that it’s a descriptive language that sounds like poetry. There are many songs and ceremonies in the Navajo tradition that cannot be translated well to English.

Secretary Haaland emphasized that the Department of Interior is focused on the necessary healing process from the impacts that boarding schools have had on indigenous people. Among many atrocities, the schools would forbid Native American children from speaking in their own languages, which undoubtably led to the languages’ endangerment seen today.

“We have an obligation to heal the wounds of our past and pave a new path for Native communities,” said Jill Biden.

The Tribal Nations Summit is an event to ensure indigenous peoples’ voices are heard and that the U.S. government is upholding its commitment to the nation-to-nation relationship. Secretary Haaland expressed, “Each year this summit will serve as a milestone to measure progress, course correct where needed, and reconnect.”