2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit Report — National Indian Education Association

2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit

On November 30 and December 1, 2022, Tribal Leaders from across the nation convened in Washington, DC for the White House Tribal Nation Summit.
During the summit, the Biden Administration made a series of announcements impacting Native Nations, including the announcement of a new Presidential Memorandum on Uniform Standards for Tribal Consultation, the implementation of the Buy Indian Act, and the release of the draft 10-Year National Plan on Native Language Revitalization.
NIEA applauds these, and the many other actions by the Administration to support the needs of Native children and to strengthen Tribal sovereignty.

The White House Council on Native American Affairs is releasing a draft 10-Year National Plan on Native Language Revitalization. This plan will be built upon four pillars—Awareness, Recognition/Affirmation, Integration, and Support—that acknowledge the federal government’s prior role in erasing Native languages and current obligation to support revitalization.
The Administration is also taking steps to expand and implement the Memorandum of Agreement on Native Languages (MOA) by including thirteen additional federal agencies in the MOA.
The National Endowment for the Arts released an updated Resources Guide for Native Arts and Cultural Activities that details sources of federal support for activities such as language revitalization.
The Administration also announced that the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities will prepare a summary of research that explores the relationship between educational attainment and Native languages.
Finally, the Department of Education will launch the National Native Language Resource Center, an online resource hub for individuals and organizations engaging in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian language revitalization.

In 2023, the Department of Education will launch a national study of Native American education. It will examine the Native educational landscape from birth through lifelong learning in both public and BIE settings.
The Administration for Children and Families announced that it is launching a new Tribal Early Learning Initiative to improve collaboration and coordination across Tribal early childhood programs, including Head Start, childcare, home visiting, and preschool.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a new partnership between BIE and the Trust for Public Lands’ Community Schoolyards Project that will create outdoor educational spaces for BIE students in collaboration with students and community members.
DOI is also renewing and reinvigorating the National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education, a non-profit organization that supports educational opportunities for BIE students by advancing Tribally led education initiatives and language revitalization.
Finally, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) partnered to fund an Indigenous Knowledge research track that will support student research at the intersection of Western science and Indigenous knowledge.

DOI and USDA announced new initiatives that promote the use of traditional foods in BIA programs, including Indigenous Food Hubs for BIE schools and BIA detention centers. USDA and DOI will also hold “listening-to” sessions to receive feedback on these initiatives and ways to support Indigenous agricultural practices.

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced it will fund the first-ever oral history project for Federal Indian boarding school survivors. This project originates from a recommendation in Volume 1 of DOI’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report.

More information on the full list of announcements made during the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit can be found here.
NIEA will continue to work with the Administration on these and all other initiatives impacting Native Nations and our children. If you have any questions, please contact NIEA Policy Director, Julia Wakeford, jwakeford@niea.org.