Indigenous Connections Broadcasts

The educational videos listed below cover a variety of topics related to Indigenous connections to the land, including history and culture, conservation practices and resource management, traditional ecological knowledge, and partnerships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Indigenous Science / Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Indigenous Connections Roundtable Indigenous Science Discussion

Join us for the first of a two-part mini-series for January and February, to hear from Indigenous community leaders as they share about Indigenous science

Or in the European context, known as Indigenous Knowledge, Traditional Ecological Knowledge. The goal of this mini-series is to help others better understand Indigenous communities in their way of understanding, experiencing, and feeling the natural world.
There’s always room for improvement, and by better understanding the sciences Indigenous communities hold, we can all improve our conservation efforts. Long before the term “scientific method” was coined, Indigenous communities were, and continue to be, front-line scientists. The differences between the Indigenous use of science and western science paradigms can’t be explained in 2 hours. These broadcasts will create space for Indigenous community leaders to share stories and examples as they illustrate their knowledge so that we all may hear about conservation work from Indigenous experts. By increasing our awareness and understanding, we may all seek to partner with Indigenous communities to better guide our conservation efforts.
Panelists range in location from Alaska to Hawaii, include elders and youth, and our esteemed partner and colleague, Lonyx Landy, Nor Rel Muk Wintu, will facilitate discussions as he guides the panelists through story sharing while incorporating participant questions.

Indigenous Connections Roundtable Indigenous Science Discussion Continued (Part 2)

Join us for the second of a two-part series, as we continue discussions with Indigenous community leaders as they share about Indigenous science,

Or in the European context, known as Indigenous Knowledge or Traditional Ecological Knowledge. The goal of the series is to help others better understand Indigenous communities in understanding, experiencing, and feeling the natural world.
There’s always room for improvement, and by better understanding the sciences Indigenous communities hold, we can all improve our conservation efforts. Long before the term “scientific method” was coined, Indigenous communities were, and continue to be, front-line scientists. The differences between the Indigenous use of science and western science paradigms can’t be explained in 2 hours. These broadcasts will create space for Indigenous community leaders to share stories and examples as they illustrate their knowledge so that we may hear about conservation work from Indigenous experts. By increasing our awareness and understanding, we may all seek to partner with Indigenous communities to better guide our conservation efforts.
This month’s panelist include Ciarre Greene, Nez Perce and Joanne Bryant, Gwich’in Athabascan. Lonyx Landy, Nor Rel Muk Wintu, will facilitate discussions as he guides the panelists through story sharing while incorporating participant questions. In order to best prepare our presenters, we asked interested participants to submit questions in advance of the broadcast.

Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in the Alexander Archipelago Wolf

This is a 2-part series describing Service and Indigenous perspectives on the collection and incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK)

Into the Alexander Archipelago Species Status Assessment (SSA). Over the next 2 months you’ll hear from a series of presenters who were involved in this process. In the first webinar, we will present the more technical aspects of initiating an IK effort concurrently with developing an SSA and reflect on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from this process. In the second webinar, we will host a panel-style discussion with some of the Knowledge Bearers interviewed, focusing on the Indigenous perspective on this SSA process.
This is a 2-part series describing Service and Indigenous perspectives on the collection and incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) into the Alexander Archipelago Species Status Assessment (SSA). Over the next 2 months you’ll hear from a series of presenters who were involved in this process. In the first webinar, we will present the more technical aspects of initiating an IK effort concurrently with developing an SSA and reflect on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from this process. In the second webinar, we will host a panel-style discussion with some of the Knowledge Bearers interviewed, focusing on the Indigenous perspective on this SSA process.

Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in the Alexander Archipelago Wolf Species Status Assessment Pt. 2

Join us for the second of a 2-part series discussing Indigenous perspectives on the collection and incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK)

Into Service decision making. We focus on the Alexander Archipelago Wolf Species Status Assessment as a case study, but this information may be applicable in other settings beyond listing decisions. It is our hope this presentation will provide employees context in how to better engage with Indigenous communities when incorporating IK into their work. In this segment, you’ll hear from Indigenous Knowledge Bearers in a panel-style discussion on their perspectives in working with social scientists on efforts to work with the Service.

Elevating Indigenous Knowledge at the U S Fish and Wildlife Service

Paige Schmidt will be presenting Departmental policy on the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and efforts to develop Department-wide implementation guidance and training.

She will also discuss efforts to step down the Department’s policy through the Service’s Indigenous Knowledge Co-stewardship sub-team. Paige is excited to answer your questions about the new policy on Indigenous Knowledge and learn how U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-specific (FWS) guidance can best meet your needs and issues.
About Our Presenter, Paige Schmidt:
Paige working with Cherokee Nation and Sequoyah NWR to restore giant river cane. She provided knowledge and staff to guide restoration of a culturally and ecologically important species.
Paige works for FWS Headquarters in Science Applications and the Native American Program, where she serves as the Indigenous Knowledge Coordinator. Previously, she spent 12 years as a Zone Biologist for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Throughout her career, she has maintained her passion for elevating the role of Indigenous Peoples in the wildlife profession. She has served in numerous leadership positions with The Wildlife Society’s Native Peoples’ Wildlife Management Working Group and focused on increasing the number of Indigenous wildlife biologists. In her current role, she has worked to evaluate how the Service provides financial assistance to Tribes and represents the Service in the development of Federal guidance and Departmental policy for the consideration and inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in federal activities.
Paige is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma and resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her son. Originally from the Great Lakes region, her Tribe signed over 40 treaties, was forcibly removed multiple times across hundreds of miles, and eventually purchased their current homelands in Oklahoma. As a result of this history and cultural assimilation policies such as, boarding schools, her family’s cultural connection was severed. Her journey to reconnect with her Tribe and restore traditions for herself and her son drives her passion for her current work. In her spare time, she enjoys mountain biking, running, yoga, native plant and vegetable gardening, reading, and catching live music.

An Introduction to Traditional or Indigenous Knowledge TEK

Anyone who is interested in traditional ecological knowledge or working with tribes is welcome to join.

During this presentation we’ll hear what traditional ecological knowledge means and have time for questions and answers. Crystal Leonetti, Alaska Native Affairs Specialist (USFWS); Kim Greenwood, Cultural Anthropologist (NPS); Ciarra Greene, Nez Perce Tribal Resolutions Committee

Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Advance Greater Opportunities

The session shares collaborative and respectful approaches to engage with communities and stakeholders to incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into both assessments of the impacts of community change as well planning to enhance community resiliency in anticipation of those changes.

Presenter(s) and Affiliations: James Rattling Leaf, Principal at the WoLakota Lab LLC About our presenter: James Rattling Leaf is the Principal at the WoLakota Lab LLC whose vision is to advance greater understanding and to build effective relationships with Indigenous Peoples. He has more than 25 years experience serving as a cross cultural/broker resource to federal government, higher education institutions and non-profits to developing, maintaining positive on-going working relationships with federally and non-federally recognized Indian tribes, Tribal College and Universities and Tribal Communities. He specializes in developing programs that utilize the interface between Indigenous People’s Traditional Knowledge and Western Science. He was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

Indigenous Culture & Community

Highlights of the Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress

About Our Presenter, Jennifer Hill: Growing up in the eastern sands of North Carolina, always spending time outdoors with her grandparents and great grandparents

These places represent thousands of years of Indigenous heritage and offer unique opportunities for connection with today’s living Native American and Alaska Native descendants.​
Who Should Attend: We welcome any of the Department of the Interior staff and partners who are involved with tribes or who wish to learn more about working with tribes.
​Presenters: Eugene Marino and Timothy Binzen Eugene Marino is Chief Archaeologist/Federal Preservation Officer and National Museum Curator for the USFWS. He serves as the National cultural resources and museum collection subject matter expert for the USFWS responsible for advising USFWS Leadership on issues relating to historic preservation, archaeological compliance and museum curation and management. He is also the National liaison with the USFWS Regional Archaeologists and Curators. Since 2007 Mr. Marino has been an Adjunct Professor for Shepherd University, teaching Anthropology and Archaeology courses. ​ Timothy Binzen’s professional background is in archaeology and anthropology. Tim has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for eleven years, first in the Northeast Region’s Cultural Resources program, and then as Regional Tribal Liaison since 2017. Before joining the Service, Tim worked for more than two decades in archaeological consulting and gained a wide range of field experiences in Idaho, New Mexico, and New England. Tim has had many opportunities to work in consultation with Tribal members.

Remembered Earth: New Mexico’s High Desert, with John Grabowska

In honor of N. Scott Momaday, we will look at the film Remembered Earth: New Mexico’s High Desert

In which Momaday and Irene Bedard, Iñupiat/Cree, present a vision of hope for the natural world by interpreting the myth, beauty, and power of a scarred but sacred landscape in the American West. Momaday’s legacy lives on, a testament to the power of stories to connect us and inspire action, reminding us that nature and heritage are two sides of a precious coin. After the film, we will speak with documentarian John Grabowska.
Presenter: John Grabowska
John makes award-winning films. He has lectured on natural history filmmaking at The National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution, led environmental media workshops in Argentina and Panama, cofounded the American Conservation Film Festival, and is a Smithsonian Journeys Expert. The Washington Post calls him “one of the virtuoso environmental filmmakers in the country.”

Cultural Protections under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

In this broadcast, we’ll hear from Gayle Ross and discuss the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

This is an international instrument adopted by the United Nations on September 13, 2007 to enshrine the rights that “constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world.” In this broadcast we’ll hear about the specific rights to culture that are laid in UNDRIP, as well as some programs of the Cherokee Nation that are examples of these rights put into practice.
About Our Presenter, Gayle Ross:
Gayle Ross is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a direct descendant of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee during the infamous “Trail of Tears.” Her grandmother told stories and it is from this rich Native American heritage that Gayle’s storytelling springs. During the past 25 years, Gayle has become one of the best-loved and most respected storytellers to emerge from the current surge of interest in this timeless art form. On the national stage, multiple White House administrations invited Gayle to perform including being the only Native American performer at the “Millennium on the Mall” celebration in Washington, D.C.—honoring ring American cultural heroes and heroines in the arts and sciences—and at the National Book Festival’s opening gala with other luminaries. Gayle’s stories have opened evenings for such distinguished speakers as Maya Angelou, N. Scott Momaday, and Alice Walker, and she has appeared with notable Native American artists in other venues.
Gayle has appeared at almost every major storytelling and folk festival in the United States and Canada, as well as theaters and performance arts halls throughout the U.S. and Europe. Whether she is provoking laughter with a Trickster tale or moving her listeners to tears with a haunting myth, Gayle is truly a master of the age-old craft of storytelling.

Importance of USFWS Cultural Resources to Native American Heritage

Did you know that the National Wildlife Refuge System contains thousands of Native American archaeological sites?

These places represent thousands of years of Indigenous heritage and offer unique opportunities for connection with today’s living Native American and Alaska Native descendants.​ Who Should Attend: We welcome any of the Department of the Interior staff and partners who are involved with tribes or who wish to learn more about working with tribes. ​ Presenters: Eugene Marino and Timothy Binzen Eugene Marino is Chief Archaeologist/Federal Preservation Officer and National Museum Curator for the USFWS. He serves as the National cultural resources and museum collection subject matter expert for the USFWS responsible for advising USFWS Leadership on issues relating to historic preservation, archaeological compliance and museum curation and management. He is also the National liaison with the USFWS Regional Archaeologists and Curators. Since 2007 Mr. Marino has been an Adjunct Professor for Shepherd University, teaching Anthropology and Archaeology courses. ​ Timothy Binzen’s professional background is in archaeology and anthropology. Tim has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for eleven years, first in the Northeast Region’s Cultural Resources program, and then as Regional Tribal Liaison since 2017. Before joining the Service, Tim worked for more than two decades in archaeological consulting and gained a wide range of field experiences in Idaho, New Mexico, and New England. Tim has had many opportunities to work in consultation with Tribal members.

The Significance of Feathers to Native American Cultures

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the only National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repository in the United States

This month we’ll hear from Liza Roman on the significance of feathers to Native American cultures. About Our Presenter, Liza M. Roman: Liza Roman, Wildlife Repository Specialist at the National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repository, has worked on the Eagle Program for more than 8 years. Mostly, Liza works on the administrative side of the Program, processing orders and entering data for 1000s of applicants of enrolled members of Federally Recognized Tribes for feathers. Occasionally, she gets into the lab to help count feathers for shipments of 100s of feathers a month. Liza was born and raised in Taos, New Mexico where the Taos Pueblo exposed her to the cultural and religious significance of eagle feathers and how they play a role in Native American lives. As a young girl she frequented seasonal ceremonies held by the Taos Pueblo and grew to love the culture and respect the foundation of which is still practiced there today. Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated as a National Historic Landmark and a World Heritage Site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It has been inhabited continuously for more than 1000 years. ​

Music Nature and NYCALC

In this session we hear from Sicangu Lakota artist, Frank Waln, on how nature has shaped his music career.

Frank shares songs, stories, and their cultural significance with the audience. Presenter(s) Affiliation(s): Sicangu Lakota artist and music producer, Frank Waln.

Indigenous Resource Management

Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council

In this broadcast, we’ll hear from the InterTribal Buffalo Council’s Executive Director, Troy Heinert.

Intertribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) is a federally chartered Indian Organization under Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act. ITBC’s mission is to restore buffalo back to Indian Country, and to preserve historical, cultural, traditional, and spiritual relationships with buffalo for future generations. ITBC was formed in 1992 after a gathering by Tribes in the Sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. Currently ITBC consists of 79 member Tribes in 20 States and is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Please join us to learn more about the work ITBC is doing!
This recording has followed guidelines of creating an accessible (section 508 compliant) video.

Empowering Co-Stewardship and Collaboration within the National Wildlife Refuge System

In this broadcast, we’ll hear from Amy Lankford-Coffman, who has a background in fieldwork,  about the work the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) is doing regarding the national Co-Stewardship effort.

The Refuge System is working toward improving relationships that respect the sovereignty of Tribes, Native Hawaiian Communities, Alaska Native Corporations, and Alaska Native Organizations (Indigenous peoples). By acknowledging the sovereign rights and responsibilities of our Indigenous partners and working with them government to government, the Refuge System is better able to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for current and future generations. We must move beyond the lens of compliance and take a more holistic view of Tribal collaboration to steward lands with our Indigenous partners. To help answer your questions regarding Refuge System engagement in the lens of Co-stewardship please send us your questions in advance using this form.
About Our Presenter, Amy Lankford-Coffman: Amy Lankford-Coffman has a diverse background in fieldwork and has worked in many different roles in wildlife refuge locations, regions, and now headquarters. Amy has developed long-term collaborative land management plans with incredibly important Tribal partners and has been a part of many great projects that have shaped her as a conservationist. She was born in Montana, raised on the Flathead Reservation, and was able to come back to it after a long period of being away working around the Nation. Previous positions included Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Superintendent of the Flathead Agency in Montana, then as a Native American Amy Lankford-Coffman Liaison for the Mountain-Prairie (Region 6) in the Service’s Office of Communications, and now as the Refuge System Tribal Co-Stewardship Coordinator.

Indigenous Connections A Partnership Between the Coeur d Alene Tribe and Birds of Prey Northwest

In this broadcast we’ll hear from biologist and raptor rehabilitator, Janie Veltkamp, the founding director of Birds of Prey Northwest,

about her partnership with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe leading to the opening of the Tribe’s first aviary. We will also hear from a special guest with the Tribe’s wildlife management program on the cultural connection the Tribe has to eagles and what it takes to care for birds that cannot be released back into the wild. Birds of Prey Northwest and the Coeur d’Alene Natural Resources Department worked together for two years, planning, preparing, and obtaining the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) permits that are required to house eagles.
About Our Presenter, Janie Veltkamp:
Janie Veltkamp received training at the prestigious University of Minnesota Raptor Center where she learned how to expertly care for and treat medically injured birds of prey. She received her master’s degree in biology from Purdue University, where her thesis investigated wintering bald eagle habitat in Indiana. Janie began reintroducing peregrine falcons in the Midwest and more recently ospreys and peregrines in South Dakota.
Since then, she has treated thousands of injured birds of prey and lectures extensively about their ecology, traveling with specially trained Eagles, Hawks, Owls and Falcons. She works closely with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and is permitted for her work through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Janie is also a Master Falconer and has a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Janie is also the co-author of two award-winning children’s books: Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a -3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle; and Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild.

Celebrating Our Native American Heritage Partnering with Tribes to Manage Natural Resources

Who Should Attend: We welcome any Department of Interior staff and partners who are involved with tribes or who wish to learn more about working with tribes.

Mr. Sonny Myers will speak about the Inter-Tribal natural resource management organization’s role in protecting and implementing off-reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering rights for the Bois Forte and Grand Portage Bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa. This Inter-Tribal natural resource management agency is known as the 1854 Treaty Authority. https://www.1854treatyauthority.org

Reintroduction of Black footed Ferrets on Tribal Lands

Did you know the black-footed ferret was once thought to be extinct?

Today recovery efforts are in place to restore this critically endangered species. Join us for this special presentation where we will discuss the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret on tribal lands. Our presenter, Shaun Grassel is an enrolled member of and a wildlife biologist for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. He has worked for his Tribe for more than 20 years on the conservation and management of wildlife species. Shaun’s work includes monitoring population trends of game species and focal non-game species, conducting research, and assisting in the development of policy. Shaun has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from South Dakota State University and a Doctoral degree in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho.

Indigenous Policy

Indigenous Recruitment and Retention

Join us for this discussion-based presentation where presenter Toni Jefferson, Lummi, will address participant questions around the recruitment and retention

Intertribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) is a federally chartered Indian Organization under Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act. ITBC’s mission is to restore buffalo back to Indian Country, and to preserve historical, cultural, traditional, and spiritual relationships with buffalo for future generations. ITBC was formed in 1992 after a gathering by Tribes in the Sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. Currently ITBC consists of 79 member Tribes in 20 States and is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Please join us to learn more about the work ITBC is doing!
This recording has followed guidelines of creating an accessible (section 508 compliant) video.

Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Tribes

What specific obligations do Tribal trust responsibilities entail? How do these responsibilities contribute to the co-stewardship of federal lands and waters?

Melissa Castiano will share her tangible experiences with Tribal trust responsibilities as an Indigenous person and federal employee.
Presenter: Melissa Castiano Melissa is from northwest New Mexico. She is of the Mexican Clan, born for the Salt Clan. Her maternal grandfather’s clan is Red Running into Water Clan, and her paternal grandfather’s clan is the Mexican Clan. Melissa was born in Shiprock, New Mexico, and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University. She began her career with U.S. Fish and Wildlife in 2002 as part of the Student Career Employee Program and became a permanent biologist in the Division of Ecological Services at the Southwest Regional Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She spent her expansive career with the Service providing leadership in tribal engagement and relations and supporting the next generation of Native youth conservation leaders through Service programs with partner agencies and organizations. In 2022, Melissa joined the National Park Service to serve as the National Park Service Intermountain Region’s Native American Affairs Liaison. In her free time, Melissa enjoys all things outdoors – snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, camping, biking, and running. She also enjoys working out, horror/sci-fi movies and books, and most of all, hanging out with her dog, Lt. Ripley (yes, from Aliens).

Residential Schools and the Generational Impact

What does generational impact mean? In our upcoming session, we will hear from Mazie Countryman, Northern Arapaho,

as she bravely recounts her experience with the generational impact of residential schools and the profound repercussions of residential boarding schools in her community. We’ll briefly explore how this understanding of generational impact resonates within the Department of the Interior’s work and the relationships we strive to build with tribes and Indigenous communities.
Presenter: Mazie Countryman Mazie Countryman is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho tribes and affiliates with Eastern Shoshone, Shoshone Bannock, and Navajo. She is a full-time student at Idaho State University working towards her bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy. After, she plans on receiving her doctorate in Pharmacy. While working on her degree, Mazie devotes her time to the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) Executive Committee serving as the 2023-2024 Northwest Representative, representing Native youth in Idaho, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon!
Mazie was a Girl Scout for 8 years, earned her Bronze and Silver awards, as well as gave 500+ hours of community service hours to her community. She still proudly carries the values of the Girl Scout motto in her everyday life, which is being honest, fair, considerate, helpful, and kind. She is an active community member and committed to making a difference each day. Whether she is volunteering at community service events or school, she is always giving back to others. Mazie has always been passionate about climate justice and advocacy for Native youth. She loves to excel in every opportunity that comes her way. One of those was Mazie certified as a pharmacy technician for the state of Idaho when she was a senior in high school. Throughout her many achievements, she has stayed positive and persevered to get the job done. Mazie believes that everyone deserves equal opportunities and access to resources, regardless of their background.

Regarding the Matter of Cherokee Tobacco to Executive Orders

In this broadcast, Chad Smith will review the historic basis for consultation, from treatymaking days until present

including In re: Cherokee Tobacco, the 1871 Appropriations Bill rider, Harjo v Kleppe, Federal executive orders, the Pawnee Consultation Statute, Native American Rights Fund advocacy, education on consultation, as well as routine v. policy consultation.
About Our Presenter, Chad Smith: Chad Smith is a citizen and former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation as well as an author, historian, and visionary leader who has been a powerful force in building businesses and empowering Indigenous communities to be more self-sufficient. Chad has devoted most of his life to rebuilding the Cherokee Nation. When he was Principal chief, the Cherokee Nation grew its assets from $150 million to $1.2 billion, increased healthcare services from $18 million to $310 million, created 6,000 jobs, and dramatically advanced its education, language, and cultural preservation programs. The Cherokee Nation’s success is a direct result of his leadership.
Throughout his career Chad has taught Indian Law and Cherokee Legal history. He has served as a Director of Tribal Justice Project, Legal Aid Director, Attorney General, and Director of Justice for many Indigenous Peoples. Chad Smith wrote Leadership Lessons from the Cherokee Nation: Learn from All I Observe, published by McGraw-Hill Education (2013) and Building One Fire: Art + World View in Cherokee Life, published by University of Oklahoma Press (2010). He earned his J.D. from the University of Tulsa, 1980; M.B.A. from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 2008; M.P.A. from University of Wisconsin, 1975; and B.S.Ed. from the University of Georgia, 1973.

Federal Native Trust Lands

Did you know taking land into trust is one of the most important functions the Department of the Interior undertakes on behalf of Tribes, as 2% of the United States is held in Federal Trust status for Native American Tribes?

Please join us to learn more about the history of Native American lands! About our presenter, Frank Rollefson: Frank Desmond Rollefson, or Desi, has 15 years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He has experience as the Rangeland Manager for the Northern Cheyenne Agency, Natural Resource Officer for the Crow Agency, Water Rights Specialist for Rocky Mountain Regional Office (RMRO), and Cartographic Technician and Wildlife Biologist, both for RMRO. Desi has participated with post wildlife assessment crews, or the Burned Area Emergency Response team for regional reservation trust lands. Desi is of German, Norwegian and Northern Cheyenne descent. He is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne, and his families are from Minnesota and Montana. Desi received his Bachelors in Biology from the University of Montana in 1997, and his Masters in Resource Management from Central Washington University in 2003.

Tribal Treaties

Most Americans learn about the Founding Fathers but are told very little about equally important and influential Native diplomats and leaders of Indian Nations

Treaties lie at the heart of the relationship between Indian Nations and the United States. Understanding the importance of treaties is an essential step in understanding the history and legacy of U.S.–American Indian diplomacy from the colonial period through the present. About our presenter: Kevin Gover is a citizen of the Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. Kevin received his bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University in 1978. He then earned his juris doctor degree from the University of New Mexico College of Law in 1981. Following law school, Kevin established a small Native American-owned law firm that specialized in federal Indian law. Gover, Stetson, Williams & West, P.C. grew into the largest Indian-owned law firm in the country and represented tribes and tribal agencies in a dozen states. In 1997, President Clinton nominated Kevin to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. As the senior executive of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), he won praise for his efforts to rebuild long-neglected Indian schools and expand tribal and BIA police forces throughout the country. In 2003, he joined the faculty at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and served on the faculty of the university’s Indian Legal Program, one of the largest such programs in the country. Kevin was Director of the National Museum of the American Indian from 2007 to 2021. He became Under Secretary for Museums and Culture in 2021.

National Park Service Tribal Programs and Funding Opportunities

Dorothy FireCloud, Native American Affairs Liaison, will speak about the role of the National Park Service Office of Native American Affairs and various funding opportunities available for Tribes and other initiatives going on within the National Park Service.

Jenn Hill learned at an early age she wanted to work and live with wildlife. Jenn started her career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2003 as an environmental education and interpretation intern at Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD. She worked her way into the Service through internships and seasonalwork. She worked at Patuxent for 16 years until 2019 when she transferred to NCTC to lead the Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress. Throughout college at Virginia Tech (VA), Bloemfontein (S. Afr.), and Stellenbosch Universities (S. Afr.), she “vowed” never to work for the federal government. She spent so much time studying abroad that Virginia Tech was hesitant to give her a degree under their name, having to go to the board of council for approval. After going back and forth from landscaping in the U.S. to humanitarian work abroad for several years, it was time to get a “real” job – said her parents! So, upon returning home in desperate need of “real” employment, she reluctantly tried an internship with the USFWS. However, once she started at Patuxent, she quickly fell in love with the people and the mission of the USFWS. Today, Jenn is married with two awesome cubs (or kids) and a small farm of rescued critters. They keep her extra busy but also serve as her purpose – her sanctuary.

Indigenous History & Heritage

Indigenous Regenerative Food Systems and the Excavation of Hidden History

Dr. Lyla June Johnston, a historical ecologist of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and European lineages will share her research

on ancient sustainable Native American food systems and how they can inform our system today.
Presenter: Dr. Lyla June Johnston Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June) is an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and European lineages. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe toward personal, collective, and ecological healing. She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives, and solutions. Her doctoral research focused on the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island (aka the Americas) to produce abundant food systems for humans and non-humans.

Foodways of the Appalachia and Biodiversity

Clay Morris shares his thoughts on how foraging and other Indigenous knowledge systems, particularly in the Appalachian region, can build a decentralized economy

and food production system that protects biodiversity. Hear about lessons learned through his foraging work over the years with various Tribal communities.
About Our Presenter, Clay Morris: Clay Morris is a restoration ecologist with interests in ethnoecology, ethnoastronomy, and regenerative agriculture. His research centers on the foods and foodways of the Appalachian region. Morris relies on dynamic tools to address food security and biodiversity crises. He’s part of a movement that believes intentionally managing the wide diversity and abundance of wild foods, as well as adapting an agricultural model to the challenging conditions of Appalachia, may better guide the path forward.

Subsistence Hunting Fishing Gathering in Alaska

According to our guest speaker, Orville Lind, this simply means when we spend quality time outdoors, deep within our souls, we learn to listen and observe when Mother Nature speaks to us.

Hear more from Orville as he discusses subsistence hunting, fishing and gathering in Alaska. About Our Presenter, Orville Lind: Orville was born and raised in the Village of Chignik Lake on the Alaska Peninsula. He is the son of Fred and Annie Lind, and his grandparents are Dora and Fred Lindholm. He has six brothers and two sisters. Orville has fours sons, one daughter and a wife of 41 years. His father founded Chignik Lake and was long-time Village Chief until his passing in 1968. Later on, Orville, was chosen by this village to become Chignik’s youngest chief at the age of 18. Orville has an extensive background ranging from Village Chief to marine mammal tagger. He has more than 28 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Perspectives of a Tribal Liaison

Join us as we hear two perspectives of life as a Tribal Liaison, serving for both the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.

Discover what being a Tribal Liaison means to our presenters and how this important role plays out in the field. Presenter(s) and Affiliations: Crystal Leonetti, FWS and Melissa Castiano, NPS

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement & Land Conservation

Full Moon Rising: From Land Conservation to Land Justice

This presentation, featuring First Light and the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship Nil yut ktahkomiq nik (the whole earth is our home)

will explore one of the most ambitious efforts in the conservation movement in our country to relearn history, repair relationships, and return land.
We will look at the work of First Light, now in its fifth year, sharing and returning land and resources to Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac, and Maliseet First Nations. We will explore what is at stake and what is to be gained through these efforts to engage differently and to share perspective and power. We will explore tools that other land conservation groups are using to share power and land, and how these tools are changing who they are and what conservation means. We will do a deeper dive into what land justice asks of us and our organizations.
Presenter: Peter Forbes Peter’s life work is about the courageous convening of people across differences of race, class, and ideology to resolve matters of consequence to their shared future. Peter is the co-founder of First Light, an ambitious effort among 65 organizations in Maine and the Wabanaki people to increase their presence and sovereignty on the land. He is the author of four books on people and place and the owner of Knoll Farm, an organic fruit farm and community gathering place in the mountains of Vermont where he and his partner, Helen, raised their family.

Developing Land Acknowledgements

What is the purpose of, and how do you go about developing, a land acknowledgement? We’ll learn this and more in the next series of the Tribal Broadcast Connections!

About Our Presenters: Crystal (Ciisquq) Leonetti is Yup’ik and a citizen of Curyung Tribal Council, born and raised in Alaska. As Native Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she represents the Regional Director regarding Alaska Native interests, including government-to-government relations with Alaska’s 229 Tribes. Melissa Shaginoff is part of the Udzisyu (caribou) and Cui Ui Ticutta (fish-eater) clans from Nay’dini’aa Na Kayax (Chickaloon Village, Alaska). She is an Ahtna and Paiute person, an artist, a social activist and the curator of Alaska Pacific University’s Art Galleries. Her work is shaped by the structure and processes of the Dene ceremony of potlatch. She has been published in the Alaska Humanities FORUM Magazine, First American Art Magazine, Inuit Art Quarterly, and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Learning Lab. She teaches about land acknowledgement concepts and other Indigenous leadership attributes.

Developing Land Acknowledgements Audio Description

What is the purpose of, and how do you go about developing, a land acknowledgement? We’ll learn this and more in the next series of the Tribal Broadcast Connections!

About Our Presenters: Crystal (Ciisquq) Leonetti is Yup’ik and a citizen of Curyung Tribal Council, born and raised in Alaska. As Native Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she represents the Regional Director regarding Alaska Native interests, including government-to-government relations with Alaska’s 229 Tribes. Melissa Shaginoff is part of the Udzisyu (caribou) and Cui Ui Ticutta (fish-eater) clans from Nay’dini’aa Na Kayax (Chickaloon Village, Alaska). She is an Ahtna and Paiute person, an artist, a social activist and the curator of Alaska Pacific University’s Art Galleries. Her work is shaped by the structure and processes of the Dene ceremony of potlatch. She has been published in the Alaska Humanities FORUM Magazine, First American Art Magazine, Inuit Art Quarterly, and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Learning Lab. She teaches about land acknowledgement concepts and other Indigenous leadership attributes.

Growing From Land Acknowledgements

Tribal connections goes beyond the land acknowledgement.

Join presenters Jennifer Owen-White, Jennifer Heroux, Juliette Fernandez, and Angelina Yost in a conversation about aspects of engagement beyond the land acknowledgement.