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Heavy weight of expectations on first Native American cabinet secretary

In America, the first Native American cabinet member, Secretary for the Interior Debra Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) has been flat tack from day one of the Biden Administration meeting her own people's expectations, unrolling Trump era decisions and helping native Americans begin the process of repatriating items of cultural significance

That's according to Muscogee Creek Nation ambassador and lawyer Jonodev Chaudhuri of Oklahoma, who says the Department of the Interior not only manages Indian affairs but also all internal matters on federal lands - parks, land, and water management.

“Native American communities and indigenous peoples have gotten thrown into this department that manages rocks and animals, and Indian people are the only people managed by this department.”

“To have a Native Secretary of the Interior, an indigenous secretary for the first time, is a watershed moment for the U.S.”

Chaudhuri, however, has been cautioning his people not to expect more than is possible due to the level of pressure Haaland is under.

“Indian countries' primary focus is on supporting Secretary Haaland and she certainly has a lot of ground to pick up on.”

Chaudhuri says American history shows the Interior Department not being a "friend" of indigenous people but he has faith that Haaland can make a difference and says she needs all the help that she can get.

Consulting tribal nations back

In one of her first moves as Interior Secretary, Haaland streamlined the process for Native American tribes to reacquire public lands from the federal government, which enables tribal governments to consolidate and re-establish jurisdiction over land in or near reservations. This process was stripped away by the previous president, Donald Trump.

“There are laws on the books in the United States, such as the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws that require active consultation with tribal nations before major federal actions are undertaken but there has been a historic policy shift between administrations about how much work the federal government is willing to do, to work with and consult with indigenous peoples and native communities and tribal nations.”

A good historic example is the pipelines that ran through Native American lands and tribal nations were poorly consulted about them, he says.

“The Trump administration gave very little value to consulting the tribal nations in these treaty areas and the department was already on the first day of action of the office showing a willingness to make a 180-degree turnabout from the Trump administration's policy.”

Chaudhuri says President Barack Obama’s administration recognised the Bears Ears National Monument and placed federal protection over 1.3 million acres of land that have great and sacred significance to the native communities in the southwestern part of the U.S.

“Almost immediately upon coming into office President Trump reversed that policy and now Secretary Haaland has made a recommendation to President Biden to reverse that reversal.”

“It is a nod to understanding the importance of working with tribal nations, who are the first nations of this land in providing adequate protections on sacred sites as well as engaging in meaningful dialogue and consultation. It is very encouraging for many, many native communities, not just in the southwest but through the entire United States.”

“Protection of these sites not only benefits native communities but also the entire American public. It just makes sense if you're talking about sensible public planning to work with native communities because they know what is significant in these lands and we all know without the contributions of native communities the United States wouldn’t exist as we know it today.”