fbpx
 

Earlier this month, the National Congress of American Indians adopted a resolution supporting the rights of nature at its mid-year conference in Anchorage, Alaska.

The National Congress of American Indians, founded in 1944, is the oldest and largest group representing American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and communities. 

The resolution, developed by Menīkānaehkem and the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, asserts that Indigenous Peoples “authority and ability…to protect the natural environment is essential to our inherent sovereignty and self-determination,” an ability at risk “from the many environmental crises that we face today,” and exacerbated by “environmental laws [that] treat nature and Mother Earth as a non-living entity existing for human use.”

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 

Additionally, the resolution references tribal efforts already in effect to protect and enforce the rights of nature, including the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin’s resolution recognizing rights of the Menominee River; The White Earth Band of Ojibwe’s ‘Rights of Manoomin,’ (wild rice); The Yurok Tribe recognizing the rights of the Klamath River; and the Nez Perce recognized rights of the Snake River; and both The Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and the Oneida Nation recognizing rights of nature laws and resolutions. 

More Stories Like This

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Launches Initiative Opposing Multi-Billion Dollar Nickel Mine
Train Derails, Spills 2,500 Gallons of Diesel on Swinomish Reservation
Interior Secretary Haaland Reverses Trump-Era Alaska Land Exchange
Biden Administration Approves Controversial Alaska Oil-Drilling Project
In the Extinction Capital of the World, A Native School Is Restoring Indigenous Forests

12 years of Native News

This month, we celebrate our 12th year of delivering Native News to readers throughout Indian Country and beyond. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.

Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation this month to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and to tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.

Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you. 

About The Author
Jenna Kunze
Author: Jenna KunzeEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Staff Writer
Jenna Kunze is a staff reporter covering Indian health, the environment and breaking news for Native News Online. She is also the publication's lead reporter on stories related to Indian boarding schools and repatriation. Her bylines have appeared in The Arctic Sounder, High Country News, Indian Country Today, Tribal Business News, Smithsonian Magazine, Elle and Anchorage Daily News. Kunze is based in New York.