Exploring Indigenous-led Guardianship in the United States

April 28-30, 2024

Silver Reef Casino Hotel & Conference Center

Lummi Nation

Join Indigenous leaders and allies from across the U.S. to explore the possibilities for creating a U.S. network of Tribal stewardship.

The purpose of this gathering is to provide an opportunity for participants to share insights from ongoing or developing stewardship programs and to discuss common challenges and opportunities that could be better addressed through the establishment of a national network to connect and support Tribal stewardship programs.

This gathering is organized by a collaboration among Nia Tero, the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, the Alaska Venture Fund, the Christensen Fund, and the Resources Legacy Fund, along with many other Indigenous organizations, Tribes, and supporting partners.

The organizers want to be explicit that our role is to assist, provide some resources, and to help catalyze at this early stage.

If you are interested in attending, please register here.

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REGISTER HERE

Opening Celebration

We are thrilled to announce that our first day together will be spent at the Sacred Journey Opening Ceremony, hosted at the Salish Institute, Lummi Nation, and featuring delegates from Tribal Nations across the Pacific Northwest.

We hope this day of ceremony will promote a common spiritual grounding essential for appropriate and productive relationship-building and discussion.

The day will include a ceremonial canoe welcome as a part of the U.S. premiere of the Sacred Journey and Bakvla Traveling Exhibits. The exhibit illustrates Tribal canoe journeys have catalyzed the revitalization of Indigenous culture, community healing, and youth empowerment on the Pacific Northwest Coast.

Please click here to register to participate in the opening ceremony.

The Growing Movement of Indigenous-led Stewardship

Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of sustaining lands and waters around the world. Eighty-five percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is on lands cared for and loved by Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous-led approaches to stewardship help conserve lands and waters, nourish Indigenous languages and cultures, support people’s health and wellbeing, and ensure Indigenous knowledge systems are passed on to future generations.

Many Indigenous communities have created stewardship programs and are building networks and knowledge sharing opportunities. In Canada, there are more than 160 First Nations Guardians programs and the National Guardians Network launched in 2022 as the first Indigenous-led national stewardship network in the world. In Australia, over 120 Indigenous Ranger groups care for lands, including 82 Indigenous Protected Areas. And in the U.S., many Native Nations are caring for their territories and exploring the Guardians model for stewardship.

Watch this 3-minute video about Indigenous-led stewardship programs—one undertaking salmon recovery in the U.S., one monitoring caribou in Canada, and one conducting cultural burning practices in Australia.