2021

Misconceptions about Native nations and their sovereignty create obstacles for tribal governments and can lead to discrimination against tribal members. But things are changing in Palm Springs, California. In a groundbreaking partnership, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Palm Springs Unified School District, and the school district’s foundation created a robust public school curriculum that educates students on Cahuilla history, culture, traditions, and government. 

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Community development efforts benefit from clean, reliable, and reasonably priced energy, especially in rural areas where fuel supply uncertainties and high costs jeopardize essential governmental operations. Responding to such concerns, Blue Lake Rancheria established a utility authority and built two award-winning microgrids that supply power to local residents and businesses and reduce the government’s carbon footprint.

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Domestic violence and sexual assault are hidden epidemics with heartbreaking consequences. Survivors are often isolated and have nowhere to turn in a crisis. To meet the need for respectful care and advocacy, the Cherokee Nation coordinated wraparound services into a “one-stop shop.” The ONE FIRE program offers culturally grounded support to help survivors recover and rebuild their lives while also advocating to end cycles of violence.

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In coastal Alaskan Native communities, harvesting subsistence foods at low tide is a way of life, and shellfish are one of the most important intertidal food sources. Climate change increasingly threatens the availability of these resources. With no other governmental agency monitoring ocean conditions affecting subsistence foods in the state, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska established a laboratory to serve Sitka tribal citizens and all citizens of coastal Alaska. The Tribe’s Environmental Research Lab provides timely sample testing to evaluate marine harvest safety.

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When the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that state and local governments could not collect taxes on non-Indian homes and businesses built on trust lands, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community moved quickly to establish its own tax authority. Paying attention to both tribal and nontribal stakeholders’ needs, Swinomish developed a taxation system that provides clarity for reservation homeowners, predictability for the neighboring county, and resources to fund local services. The Swinomish Tax Authority cuts through the complexities and contentiousness that often characterize the allocation of tax jurisdiction in Indian Country.

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