Thrilled to get a chance to share Indigenous perspectives during the open plenary of Restore America's Estuaries. Yes, as one native presenter noted later in the day--it's capitalism and colonialism that got us here and we need to turn to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to help us turn the tide (full credit for this paraphrased idea should go to Coach Jackson (Nanticoke) at Coastal Defenders--check this organization out, her talk was far ranging on anti-Blackness in coastal spaces, to Indigenous data sovereignty to supporting tribal youth in leadership roles. All amazing!!)
We started the day with our mini delegation of Nikki Bass (Nansemond) and Dana Adkins (Chickahominy), our panelist moderator Christy Everett ,director of the Hampton Bay office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and fellow speaker, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator Jainey Bavishi. We took this fun selfie before heading to the opening plenary session opened by Restoring America's Estuaries President & CEO, Daniel Hayden. Assistant Secretary Bavishi made some impressive remarks about how the agency was ramping up protections for coastal natural resources and the communities who were linked to their health, including the remark that NOAA had REMOVED match requirements for BIL and IRA funding. Thank goodness! Tribal Nations are not the only ones who believe these match requirements severely impact the ability of federal dollars to reach communities and Tribal Nations that need them most (shout out to the Upper Mattaponi Tribe who was the very FIRST Tribal Nation to be granted NOAA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for land rematriation in the US!!).
Nikki and Dana opened the plenary session providing a greeting and introductions in Algonquin, a sleeping language among Tribal Nations in Virginia that is now being revitalized thanks to the Algonquin Intertribal Roundtable (PAIR) program. Dana and Nikki shared histories of their tribe and we also shared the origin story of the Indigenous Conservation Council. We delved into what Tribal Nations wished partners would know before showing up, the importance of sovereignty and meaningful and open communication, pressures facing tribes--from high rates of cancer to climate change and sea level rise--and the power of partners to provide a platform for Indigenous perspectives to be shared at large. The ICC provided a listing of resources to support non-native allies in partnering more deeply with Tribal Nations and Indigenous partners in Virginia and elsewhere that we hope will be shared with all RAE attendees of this week's conference. Additionally, we also participated in a panel moderated by the Environmental Policy Innovation Center later that day to explore innovations in technology, financing, policy, and restoration with fellow panelists from Compass Ecospatial, Ecosystem Investment Partners, Center for Geospatial Solutions and Plauche & Carr. Our panel room was packed and we ranged from a discussion of the changing policy landscape on the Chevron and Sackett decisions, to outcome-based funding, to biocultural restoration, and data advances. Not sure how we fit it all in a 90 minute session! The ICC was thrilled to share how Indigenous ideas are reshaping all of these aspects. Please check out our presentation below and deep gratitude to all Indigenous leaders thinking about sovereign-to-sovereign agreements, Indigenous law, data sovereignty, innovations on easements to protect cultural resources, and Indigenous-led financing!
Next week is Indigenous Peoples' Day and we hope everyone will benefit from this list of resources we pulled together for RAE participants at the conference. If you have more to add, please send them to info@indigenous-chesapeake.org.
RESOURCES: Indian Country 101: A resource developed by the Whitener Group for The Nature Conservancy that is a self-paced, free online course. Designed for non-native allies to provide a beginner's grounding in sovereignty and tribal governments.
Free Prior and Informed Consent: Do you know the international rights of Indigenous Peoples? Check out the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples and understand more about how you can support FPIC.
Changing the Narrative About Native Americans: A Guide for Allies: A guide developed by First Nations Development Institute through their Reclaiming Narrative Truth series.
Sovereign-to-Sovereign Co-Management Agreements: An emerging repository of background on co-management principles, sample agreements, and best practices from a collaborative effort by the Native American Rights Fund, the Gallagher Law Library and the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington School of Law, the Bolle Center for People and Forests at the University of Montana, the Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Wilburforce Foundation, and the First Nations Development Institute.
Virtual Learning Events About Tribal Issues: The Native Americans in Philanthropy regularly hosted online events on topical issues centering tribal voices and lived experiences.
The Federal Boarding School Initiative: A initiative launched by US Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland to investigate and support truth and healing around the impacts of federal boarding schools to native communities to this day.
Land Grab Universities: An in-depth investigative report of how the theft of native lands can be traced to the formation of land grant universities around the nation compiled by High Country News which provides a powerful starting point to revisit connections between higher education and the Land Back movement.
Native Nation Building: Dive into the Native Nations Institute's free online Indigenous Governance Database for lots of resources about how to support sovereignty-rich nation building models.
Native Online News Outlets: Consider subscribing to Native News Online, Bioneers, Cultural Survival, the NDN Newsletter, the Native Nations Institute, or other native-produced content.
Virginia specific resources:
Sovereign Nations of Virginia Conference: An annual conference series to support greater awareness of sovereignty for tribes in the Commonwealth of Virginia (held in September each year both in person and online)
Tribal Truths Podcast: A podcast produced by Virginia Public Media to highlight Indigenous stories, cultures, and places.
Indigenous Perspectives: An online compilation of tribal perspectives, documents, and artifacts compiled in collaboration with Virginia tribes and the Library of Virginia.
Indigenous Cultural Landscapes in the Chesapeake: A series of reports commissioned by the National Park service and partners to document the Indigenous Cultural Landscapes to support greater understanding of Indigenous histories and connections to the Chesapeake.
The Indigenous Conservation Council: Follow our LinkedIn page or sign up for our newsletter for lots of shared information about land and conservation efforts of Tribal Nations in Virginia.
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