Other Papers & Reports

The Blood Line: Racialized Boundary Making and Citizenship among Native Nations

Year

Blood informs a central racial ideology in the United States that has historically been used to racialize many different groups. American Indians (AIs) are the only population in the United States for whom the racial logic of blood remains codified as a means of conferring collective belonging. This article explores how AI blood quantum persists as both a race-making and nation-making instrument. I ask two research questions: How does blood quantum persist as a metric of tribal citizenship? Are tribal citizenship criteria connected to contemporary demographic, geographic, political, and economic forces? I first extend racial formation theory to describe blood quantum as a “racial project” in its use to both construct tribal identities in explicitly racial ways and determine access to political, social, and material resources. I also consider how the sovereign right of Native nations to confer tribal citizenship is evident in the observed variation among citizenship rules. Using data from more than 80 percent of AI Native nations in the contiguous United States, I employ a multinomial regression model to evaluate tribal citizenship variation. I have two central findings: (1) although tribal citizenship criteria are starting to depart from the racializing policies of the settler-colonial state, blood quantum thresholds remain particularly durable; and (2) variation in tribal citizenship criteria is meaningful by geographic region, tribal governance status, and Indian gaming. Against a backdrop of growing racial diversity in the United States, I discuss implications of the blood line on tribal citizenship boundaries and tribal sovereignty.

 
Resource Type
Citation

Rodriguez-Lonebear, Desi. “The Blood Line: Racialized Boundary Making and Citizenship among Native Nations.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, vol. 7, no. 4, Oct. 2021, pp. 527–542, doi:10.1177/2332649220981589.

Native Nation Building: It Helps Rural America Thrive

Year

This second paper in the Aspen Institute's Thrive Rural Field Perspectives series shows that when tribes center sovereignty, Indigenous institutions and culture in their development processes they increase the probability of reaching their development goals and can build community wealth that is more in line with tribal values and lifeways. The authors also highlight how Native nations and rural communities, working both side-by-side and together, can strengthen the potential for thriving rural regions.

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Citation

M Jorgensen & S Gutierrez. 2021. Native nation building: It helps rural America thrive. Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute, Washington, DC. November.

The SEEDS of Indigenous population health data linkage

Year

Globally, the ways that Indigenous data are collected, used, stored, shared, and analyzed are advancing through Indigenous data governance movements. However, these discussions do not always include the increasingly sensitive nature of linking Indigenous population health (IPH) data. During the International Population Data Linkage Network Conference in September of 2018, Indigenous people from three countries (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States) gathered and set the tone for discussions around Indigenous-driven IPH data linkage.

Resource Type
Citation

Rowe, R., Carroll, S. R. ., Healy, C., Rodriguez-Lonebear, D. and Walker, J. D. (2021) “The SEEDS of Indigenous Population Health Data Linkage”, International Journal of Population Data Science, 6(1). doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v6i1.1417.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Access for Alaska Natives in 2020

Year

This chapter in the NOAA Arctic Report Card 2021 highlights:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges for Alaska Natives in accessing traditional and store-bought foods.
  • The strength of Indigenous cultural and economic practices such as food sharing networks helped mitigate these challenges.
  • Policies and programs that support access to traditional foods and Indigenous sovereignty strengthen the ability of individuals and communities to respond to significant events that break down supply chains and restrict mobility.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 Nay'dini'aa Na'Kayax' (Chickaloon Native Village) culture camp, which had been held annually for the previous 20 summers—or since time immemorial, as the formal camp continued a tradition of gathering to share food, stories, and knowledge. The previous summer, Nay'dini'aa Na'Kayax' welcomed Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN) members to join the camp. IFKN convenes Indigenous community members and researchers from the Arctic and US Southwest for place-based knowledge exchange about Indigenous foods. At the camp, network members learned how to fillet and preserve salmon alongside village youth, sharing meals and stories around the campfire. The cancellation of the 2020 camp, along with similar celebrations and gatherings across Alaska, disrupted intergenerational knowledge sharing aboutIndigenous food systems In light of these disruptions, IFKN leadership saw an opportunity to engage in a research project that asked: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food access for Indigenous individuals in Alaska and the US Southwest? In this essay, we share what we have learned from interviews conducted with Alaska Native experts as part of this project. Experts were individuals who had knowledge of traditional foods and who maintained a close connection with their home community and land in 2020.
 

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Citation

N. Johnson, K. S. Erickson, D. B. Ferguson, M. B. Jäger, L. L. Jennings, A. R. Juan, S. Larson, W. K. S. Smythe, C. Strawhacker, A. Walker, and S. R. Carroll, 2021: The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Access for Alaska Natives in 2020. Arctic Report Card 2021, T. A. Moon, M. L. Druckenmiller, and R. L. Thoman, Eds., NOAA Arctic Report Card 2021. DOI: 10.25923/5cb7-6h06

Post COVID-19 Implications for Genetic Diversity and Genomics Research & Innovation: A Call for Governance and Research Capacity

Year

At a time of significant technological change and digitization in the biological sciences, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted again the inequities in the research and innovation ecosystem. Based on a consultation with an internationally diverse group of stakeholders from multiple fields and professions, and on a broadly representative set of case studies, this report offers a new approach to the global governance of genetic diversity and genomic research and innovation. We recommend that in addition to the many valuable efforts at the macro-policy level and at the micro-level of projects, teams and organizations, the global community concerned with genetic diversity and genomic research and innovation should devise and implement a meso-level initiative that includes three main components:

  1. First, it should establish a new professional capacity to govern research and innovation at the meso-level.Governance capacity, built through a networked community of practice, has the benefit of connecting and integrating macro-level policy intentions with micro-level actions. It facilitates a consistent professional basis from which local and regional level flexibilities can generate new norms of reflection that better integrate multiple synergies, reconcile tensions, recognizeinequities, and redress persistent inequalities.
  2. Second, the global community should redouble efforts to build research capacity in genomic research and innovation in the Global South and for Indigenous Peoples. Such an effort should be focused on broader programmatic objectives that facilitate cross-national and cross-regional collaboration, as well as enhancing research communities in the Global South and in Indigenous communities. Together, the twin capacities of governance and research can reduce power differentials among diverse actors and support crisis-based imperatives for data openness.
  3. Third, we recommend that existing global policy frameworks interface with research governance and capacity investment. This meso-level approach should gain the commitment and support from national and international policy bodies, embedded within existing specific issue-areas (health, agriculture, environment).

A new approach, one that can better respond to global crises though more open, inclusive and equitable participation in research and innovation, is necessary to resolve the tensions among openness, innovation and equity that the current discourse on genetic diversity reiterates. Failure to systematically address the social and technical governance challenges will result in further fragmentation, inequity and vulnerability for decades to come. Conversely, investing in the current historical moment of the pandemic to build twin capacities for meso-level governance and research is poised to prevent and/or reduce the impact of future ecological crises, while contributing to planetary sustainability and prosperity in the 21st century for current and future generations.

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Citation

Welch, E., Louafi, S., Carroll, S.R., Hudson, M., IJsselmuiden, C., Kane, N., Leonelli, S., Marin, A.,Özdemir, V., Reichman, J.H., Tuberosa, R., Ubalijoro, E.,Wesseler, J. 2021. Post COVID-19 Implications on Genetic Diversity and Genomics Research & Innovation: A Call for Governance and Research Capacity. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Policy Brief: Native Nation Rebuilding for Tribal Research and Data Governance

Year

Indigenous Peoples conducted research long before their interactions with European settlers. Whether through observation or practice, research in a non-western context was woven into Indigenous ways of knowing and being. It continues to inform Indigenous Knowledges of landscapes and natural resources, governance systems, intra- and inter-governmental relationships, and behavior. The outcomes of this research are reflected in how Indigenous Peoples understand who they are today. Research in Indigenous communities has evolved—and not always in positive ways. For decades, noncommunity-member researchers, including non-Indigenous researchers, have studied Indigenous Peoples and communities.

Research practices range from collaborative to exploitative, with research outcomes and outputs often intended for the benefit of users outside a particular Native nation or cultural group. Some researchers honor tribal sovereignty in their research practices and seek tribal government and community guidance on research approvals and processes (or are attempting to pivot in this direction). Others have collected data from Indigenous communities for their personal or research advancement without concern for community desires, collected data without consent from Native nations, and misrepresented how data would be used. Such actions have led to contentious engagements among public institutions, researchers, and Indigenous Peoples.

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Citation

Hiraldo, Danielle, Stephanie Russo Carroll, Dominique M. David-Chavez, Mary Beth Jäger, and Miriam Jorgensen. 2020. "Native Nation Rebuilding for Tribal Research and Data Governance." NNI Policy Brief Series. Tucson: Native Nations Institute, University of Arizona.

Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities in the Face of Flooding

Producer
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Year

Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities in the Face of Flooding is a report produced by AGU, a global not-for-profit scientific society dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity. The report is reviewed by leading experts in these fields. From devastating monsoons to sea level rise, extreme weather is taking its toll across the globe. Surging Waters looks at flooding in the United States and demonstrates how science is supporting flood management, as well as furthering the solutions needed to mitigate flood impacts on people and property in the future.The report’s authors highlight three types of flooding—flooding due to hurricanes, floods in the central U.S., and coastal flooding—through local stories. In 2017, Houston, Texas, was hit by Hurricane Harvey, the second most damaging weather disaster in U.S. history, and is still recovering.

The city of De Soto, MO, is emblematic of many areas in the Midwest that have been plagued by recurrent flash flooding. The Hampton Roads area of coastal Virginia has fallen victim to sinking land and rising seas.Through these stories and others, and compelling flood data presented for regions across the United States, the report shows how scientific research and data collection are essential to finding modern-day and future solutions to mitigate flooding. Robust funding for science-related federal agencies drives the advancement of science and provides support that is critical for the most vulnerable communities and individuals. Surging Waters recommends actions that community members and leaders, scientists, federal agencies, and policy makers can take to build a strong foundation to empower communities to make decisions for a more resilient and sustainable future.

Communities can use this report to inform and guide conversations with stakeholders on local, regional, and national levels. Lawmakers need to hear that people care about flooding issues and support the scientists working toward solutions. It is essential that science, with support from policy makers, continues to inspire readiness, cultivate collaboration, and empower communities.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

American Geophysical Union. (2020). Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities In the Face of Flooding. Retrieved from https://scienceisessential.org//wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/10/Sur….

Coastal Guardian Watchmen Programs: A Business Case

Year

As the original stewards of their territories, the Coastal First Nations along British Columbia’s North Coast, Central Coast and Haida Gwaii have been working to establish and grow Guardian Watchmen programs, in some cases for several decades. These programs have come to play an important role in contemporary environmental stewardship. Though they differ from Nation to Nation, the mandate of the programs is to safeguard the Coastal First Nations’ natural and cultural resources, so that these Nations can continue to sustain viable, healthy communities for generations to come. Guardian Watchmen programs require financial support from their Nations and other funding partners. As such, it is reasonable to ask: are they worth it? To help answer this question, a business case analysis of Coastal Guardian Watchmen programs was undertaken. Key findings are included in this report, which examines the net value of program costs and benefits from the perspective of the First Nations that have these programs.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Valuing Coastal Guardian Watchmen Programs: A Business Case. EcoPlan International, The Coastal Steward Network, and TNC Canada. Vancouver, British Columbia. October 4, 2016. Report. (https://coastalfirstnations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Valuing-Coastal-Guardian-Watchmen-Programs-A-Business-Case.pdf, accessed March 24, 2023)

What are the Limits of Social Inclusion? Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Governance in Canada and the United States

Year

Contemporary debates about poverty and its mitigation often invoke the idea of social inclusion: the effort to increase the capacities and opportunities of disadvantaged populations to participate more fully in the economy, polity, and institutions of developed societies. While practical outcomes have been inconsistent, this idea has been prominent in the social policies of both Canada and the United States. Both generally see themselves as liberal democracies committed to building socially inclusive societies, and both have adopted policies in support of that goal. However, we argue in this article that social inclusion, as presently conceived, fails to comprehend or address the distinctive situation of Indigenous peoples in both of these countries. Our critique focuses on four aspects of social inclusion as applied to Indigenous peoples: the external conception of needs, the individualization of both problems and solutions, the favoring of distributional politics over positional politics, and the conditionality of inclusion. We argue that both Canada and the United States need to reconceive social inclusion in ways that address these issues and that a more capacious conception of federalism may hold the key.

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Topics
Citation
Cornell, S. E., & Jorgensen, M. (2019). What are the Limits of Social Inclusion? Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Governance in Canada and the United States. American Review of Canadian Studies, 49(2), 283-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/02722011.2019.1613790

Tribal Climate Tools To Engage Community & Build Resilience

Year

The following toolkit is designed to support Tribal efforts to prepare vulnerability assessments, and adaptation and resilienceplans. The toolkit includes approaches to community engagement as well as methodologies and tactics to set priorities and develop step by step blueprints to map adaptive measures. Each tool can stand alone or be used in combination with a selection of all or some, depending on the needs and approach of the Tribe. In general, most of the tools are designed to help the user take a more systemic view of the complexity of climate change.

The Toolkit is broken down into the following sections:

  • Vulnerability Assessments
  • Downscalingclimate data
  • Identifying important assets
  • Capturing local information
  • Organizing your assets
  • Preparing a vulnerability assessment
  • Testing your vulnerabilities against system knowledge
  • Ranking your adaptation options
  • Using backcasting to plan for adaptation
Resource Type
Citation

Environmental Finance Center West. Tribal Climate Tools To Engage Community & Build Resilience. (September 2019). Environmental Finance Center: West Oakland, California. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/573e3bc9ab48dee8fdd75e4b/t/5d826…