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Contact your state representative to support Indigenous sovereignty & mandatory consultation in the RESPECT Act!
In May of 2021, Raúl M. Grijalva proposed the Requirements, Expectations, and Standard Procedures for Effective Consultation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act, which would codify government-to-government consultation and coordination on all activities that would affect federally recognized Tribes. The RESPECT Act was unanimously passed in the Senate, and the legislation is soon to pass through the House of Representatives. Supporting this legislation is key to protecting Tribal sovereignty and respecting Indigenous peoples’ autonomy over their lands. Below are a few talking points that can help shape your letter of support.
Stand with Standing Rock, 2016. Image from Creative Commons
LIST OF TALKING POINTS:
The RESPECT Act will ensure Tribal Nations are afforded meaningful input on all activities occurring in and around their lands. This will address current federal shortcomings that fail to properly exchange information with Tribes, as well as providing legal countermeasures in the case that federal agencies fail to engage in meaningful consultation if this legislation passes.
Areas of cultural or religious importance will be further protected given that Tribes will have equal say on land management projects. There have been multiple instances of Tribal sacred sites being desecrated due to federal agencies’ lack of planning and consultation with Tribes; the passage of this bill will secure safety for cultural sites in the future.
Space for meaningful consultation will support the inclusion of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge in natural resource settings. Uplifting Indigenous science and cultural knowledge is effective in our fight against climate change, and any traditional knowledge shared with the public will better educate our communities to live more sustainably.
Consultation changes from one administration to the next, and the RESPECT Act will uphold Tribal input and assure government-to-government relationships in the future. A prime example of this is when former President Obama blocked the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Trump Administration soon reversed that decision after coming into office.
Consultation is different everywhere. Some Tribes have comprehensive consultation with federal agencies, some have no consultation whatsoever. The Mt. Hood National Forest plan currently does not take Tribal consultation into consideration, and Warm Springs and Grand Ronde have repeatedly called for more input on Forest Service projects. Current guidelines are loose and inconsistent.
Urge your state representative to support Indigenous sovereignty & mandatory consultation in the RESPECT Act!
Contact your state representative to support Indigenous sovereignty & mandatory consultation in the RESPECT Act!
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The RESPECT Act is widely supported by many Tribes and Tribal organizations, and we must empower Tribal sovereign authority and the right to self-govern over their lands and resources.
Indigenous peoples’ oversight on their traditional homelands is very much needed during this climate crisis. Thank you for speaking up! Please share this action with anyone else who might be interested in lending their voice in this responsibility we have to Tribal Nations.
Bark affirms that these are the rightful lands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, and Clackamas bands of the Chinuk, Tualitin Kalapuya, Molalla, Tenino, Wasco, Wishram, Paiute, and the many other Native people who live here and who have always lived here. These Tribal Nations belong to and care for this land and we honor these Nations’ continued existence and resilience, as their sacrifices are still ongoing. We acknowledge their long-lasting and tireless work to nurture, advocate, and protect these lands in the Pacific Northwest.