- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The National Park Service (NPS) has issued its first-ever Director’s Order focused on nation-to-nation consultations with Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, a move aimed at strengthening relationships and ensuring Tribal voices are central in federal decision-making regarding park resources.
The new order codifies existing policies while expanding the NPS’s Tribal engagement. NPS Director Chuck Sams, the first Indigenous person to lead the agency, said in a press release, “This is one more step we can take to prioritize our relationships with Tribes, ensuring Tribal leaders and the people they represent have a consequential seat at the table.”
The Director’s Order outlines guidelines for consulting with Tribes, including respecting Tribal sovereignty, recognizing the importance of Indigenous narratives, and ensuring that natural resources are seen as cultural resources. It calls for early and frequent communication with Tribes when the NPS is considering actions that might impact Tribal lands or resources.
The order is part of a broader shift within the federal government to support Tribal self-governance and co-stewardship of federal lands. In 2022, the NPS, along with other federal agencies, introduced guidance to strengthen Indigenous co-stewardship of federal lands and waters,.
The NPS has made strides in co-stewardship with Tribes, including 109 formal agreements across the country. In Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, for example, 16 affiliated Tribes now collaborate on storytelling efforts and Indigenous craft sales at historic locations like Desert View Watchtower. Similarly, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve has worked with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to enhance park displays with Indigenous perspectives.
Another milestone occurred at Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota, where the park celebrated 25 years of co-management with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, demonstrating the success of long-term partnerships in land stewardship.
Since 2021, the NPS has directed over $77 million to support Tribal historic preservation initiatives, along with $10.4 million in grants for the repatriation of Native American cultural items under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). In December 2023, the NPS updated regulations under NAGPRA, strengthening Tribes’ role in reclaiming ancestral remains and sacred objects.
Additionally, the NPS has signed 27 new agreements with Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and launched a study on the Indian Reorganization Period, aiming to broaden understanding of Indigenous history and identify potential National Historic Landmarks.
More Stories Like This
Interior Department Announces Over $119 Million for Abandoned Coal Mine ReclamationOsage Minerals Council Celebrates the Final Dismissal of Hayes II Litigation
Bad River Chairman: "Line 5 is a daily threat to our clean rivers and lakes, our fish, and our wild rice."
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Curley Announces Public Hearing on Federal Coal Industry Initiatives
NDN Fund Continues to Support of Landback Efforts in Copper River Delta, Alaska
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
