Native Anthro Blog

Tribal Consultation: Simple Tips for Success (by a former Tribal employee)  I have taught Tribal Consultation to Federal, State, and Local Government employees and all have the same questions because they all make the same mistakes. Government workers are all too eager to pull the trigger on large scale, high-level manager meetings with Tribes without ever having informal discussions to avoid awkward nuances that could have been easily avoided.  The problem is typically in the execution. Government employees don’t know how or when to engage. When they do engage, they typically make big asks of Tribal employees that become unfunded...

What are your thoughts on land acknowledgements? Are they a big deal or not? They seem like a big deal to some. Until recently, I hadn't given it much thought. The last someone asked me, I believe I somewhat seriously, somewhat jokingly, replied, "it would be better just to give us our land back." I wasn't sure if that was the correct answer, but I was kind of surprised to hear that some may not be too keen on these land acknowledgments. So, maybe mixed reviews? I understand tribes will have specific protocols regarding land acknowledgments, but having a federal,...

Washington needs a new folk song. Yes, the State of Washington has an official folk song written and performed by early American folk singer Woody Guthrie. The song entitled “Roll on Columbia, Roll on” was one of twenty-six that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) commissioned from Guthrie. At the time, BPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had just built the Bonneville Dam (about 45 minutes east of Portland, OR) three years prior. Roll On was a propaganda song that would pedestal federal regulation of hydroelectric dams in the face of private hydro projects proposed by local state and...