indigenous rights
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States profit from lands on tribal reservations, hindering tribal sovereignty
Tribes are forced to lease their own lands from states, which profit from resources like timber, gas, and minerals, while tribal sovereignty and environmental management are undermined.
Anna V. Smith and Maria Parazo Rose report for High Country News and Grist.
In short:
- State trust lands, once seized from tribes, are leased for public institutions like schools and hospitals, often benefiting non-Indigenous citizens.
- Tribal nations, such as the Ute and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, lease millions of acres from states for agriculture and resource use.
- Tribes are pushing for land return through programs like Montana’s land exchange, but legal barriers, such as subsurface mineral rights, complicate the process.
Key quote:
“Hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars that could have perhaps been used to educate, to create housing, to create economic opportunity have been lost to the tribes.”
— Minnesota State Senator, Mary Kunesh
Why this matters:
Land leasing affects tribal sovereignty and limits Indigenous management of vital ecosystems. To use these lands, the tribes themselves often have to pay, a grim irony considering these territories were once meant to be set aside for their exclusive use. Read more: Why Indigenous women are risking arrest to fight Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through Minnesota.
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Newsletter
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Opposition builds as northern British Columbia pipeline construction begins
Nisg̱a’a tribal protectors briefly blocked construction of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, signaling growing resistance from Indigenous communities across northwest B.C.
In short:
- Nisg̱a’a tribal members set up a blockade near Gitlax̱t’aamiks to stop pipeline vehicles, reopening it after RCMP arrived.
- The pipeline project faces opposition from multiple Indigenous groups, who argue that the environmental assessments are outdated.
- Construction must significantly progress by November to keep environmental approval valid.
Key quote:
“This will be won. I guarantee you we will be successful.”
— Richard Cecil Mercer, Nisg̱a’a citizen
Why this matters:
The pipeline crosses sensitive areas, including heritage sites and major waterways. The opposition highlights broader conflicts over land rights and environmental protection.
Be sure to read:
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Newsletter
Federal grant requirements overwhelm coastal tribes trying to adapt to climate change
Coastal tribes in the Northwest are struggling to secure federal grants essential for climate adaptation, often bogged down by excessive paperwork and misaligned funding priorities.
In short:
- Northwest coastal tribes must relocate due to rising sea levels but face obstacles in securing federal funding.
- A new report highlights that grant applications are burdensome, diverting critical tribal resources from climate adaptation.
- Tribal leaders emphasize that while funding is available for planning, there’s little for infrastructure needed to implement those plans.
Key quote:
“There’s so many lessons there for other kinds of communities who are going to have to face these same issues in the coming years, and the tribes are doing it first.”
— Meade Krosby, senior scientist at UW
Why this matters:
Coastal tribes are among the first to face the harsh realities of climate change. Their struggle to secure necessary funding not only endangers their communities but also offers vital lessons for future climate adaptation efforts.
Read more:
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Credit: Ralph Earlandson/Flickr
A uranium mine threatens the Havasupai Tribe's sole water source
A uranium mine near the Grand Canyon risks contaminating the Havasupai Tribe’s only water source, sparking fears for their health and safety.
In short:
- The Pinyon Plain Mine, located near the Grand Canyon, sits atop an aquifer that provides the Havasupai Tribe's only drinking water.
- A new study challenges the safety assessments of the mine, suggesting the rock layers could allow uranium to contaminate the tribe's water.
- The Havasupai Tribe and environmentalists are fighting the mine, fearing irreversible damage to their sacred land and water supply.
Key quote:
“Once it goes into our village, we will get sick. I question to these mining people: ‘Are you going to take accountability to pay for my people’s hospitalizations?’”
— Dianna Sue White Dove Uqualla, Havasupai elder
Why this matters:
The potential contamination of the Havasupai’s water source exemplifies the dilemma we face over prioritizing resource extraction in the face of growing environmental pressures. If the lifeblood of the Havasupai is tainted, it would be a blow not only to their survival but to the integrity of the Grand Canyon itself. Read more: Protecting Indigenous children means protecting water.
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Credit: Alessandro Biascioli/BigStock Photo ID: 429026054
Indigenous youth are leading the charge in climate lawsuits.
Across the globe, Indigenous youth are taking governments and companies to court, fighting for the future of their land and culture against the devastating impacts of climate change.
In short:
- The Lāhainā wildfire in 2023, fueled by climate change and colonialism, destroyed Kaliko's home, pushing her to join a successful lawsuit to decarbonize Hawaii's transportation system.
- Indigenous youth globally are increasingly leading climate lawsuits, challenging governments and corporations to protect their lands and traditions.
- These legal battles, while often difficult, represent a powerful way for young people to transform grief and anger into action.
Key quote:
"This feeling of loss and grief of experiencing life with climate change — it impacts so many of our traditional ways."
— Beze Gray, Aamjiwnaang First Nation
Why this matters:
For indigenous people climate change is about more than rising sea levels or shrinking ice caps—it's about the loss of ancestral lands, the disruption of ecosystems they've relied on for generations, and the deep cultural connections that are being severed. Read more: Youth activism alone cannot save us: A case for intergenerational environmental coalitions.
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Credit: Andy Morffew/Flickr
Biden administration safeguards millions of acres in Alaska from industrial harm
The Biden administration announced protections for 28 million acres in Alaska, blocking industrial activities to preserve Indigenous communities, wildlife and ecosystems.
In short:
- The Interior Department has blocked a 211-mile road essential for a planned copper and zinc mine, citing potential harm to Alaska Native communities and wildlife.
- The protected lands include critical habitats and have been at the center of a long-standing debate over industrial development versus environmental conservation.
- Alaska lawmakers are pushing back, with some introducing legislative measures to counter the administration's decisions.
Key quote:
“D1 lands in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region are vital to our people’s way of life — these protections ensure future generations will be able to live safely with and on the land, carrying our customary and traditional knowledge.”
— Anaan’arar Sophie Swope, executive director of the Mother Kuskokwim Tribal coalition
Why this matters:
Protecting these lands helps protect Alaska Native cultures and ecosystems, addressing long-standing environmental and subsistence concerns while increasing the tension between economic development and conservation efforts in the resource-rich region. Read more: Biden’s Arctic drilling go-ahead illustrates the limits of democratic problem solving.
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Indigenous communities leverage clean energy projects for their benefit
Indigenous communities, once sidelined in renewable energy projects, are now finding ways to actively benefit from these initiatives through strategic partnerships and government policies.
In short:
- Indigenous communities in Canada are increasingly involved in renewable energy projects due to supportive policies like Ontario’s feed-in tariff program.
- Barriers such as limited access to capital and insufficient community capacity still pose challenges to broader participation.
- Successful Indigenous-led projects, like the microhydropower systems in Malaysia, demonstrate the potential for sustainable and equitable energy development.
Key quote:
“As Indigenous Peoples, we recognize and support the global shift towards renewable energy. But it can’t happen at the expense of Indigenous people. Right now, we are going towards a new type of ‘clean’ colonialism.”
— Joan Carling, executive director of Indigenous Peoples Rights International
Why this matters:
Indigenous participation in renewable energy projects promotes environmental sustainability and supports their economic empowerment and preservation of cultural heritage. This empowerment also fosters greater respect for Indigenous knowledge and practices, which are often deeply aligned with principles of environmental stewardship.
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