This year the Summit will took place virtually. The Summit featured panel discussions and listening sessions with high level Administration officials on Tribal priorities. President Biden and the Administration hosted a robust and meaningful dialogue with Tribal leaders on key issues, policy initiatives, and goals for Indian Country. This year they changed the name from a conference to a summit to reflect the federal government’s Nation-to-Nation relationship with Tribal Nations. The Biden-Harris Administration is deeply committed to honoring their trust and treaty responsibilities to federally recognized Tribal Nations and the Summit provided an opportunity for Tribal leaders to engage directly with officials from the highest levels of the Administration.

The policy panels included the following sessions:

• Combating COVID-19
• Native American Education and Native Languages
• Public Safety and Justice
• Climate Change Impacts and Solutions
• Tribal Treaty Rights and Sacred Lands
• Economic and Workforce Development
• Infrastructure, Housing and Energy
• Listening Session with Federal Officials

Agenda

Fact Sheet: Building A New Era of Nation-to-Nation Engagement  - White House Briefing Room (November 15, 2021)

The White House Tribal Nations Summit Progress Report 
 

Announcements

• President Biden Announces 5 New Initiatives at Tribal Nations Summit:
  1. Interior Department, Federal Partners  Commit to Protect Tribal Treaty Rights
  2. Interior and Agriculture Departments Take Action to Strengthen Tribal Co-Stewardship of Public Lands and Waters
  3. Traditional Ecological Knowledge Interagency Initiative
  4. Greater Chaco Landscape Mineral Withdrawal
  5. Executive Order on Improving Public Safety and Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People
• US Dept. of Education News Release: Departments of the Interior, Education, and Health & Human Services Launch Multi-Agency Initiative to Protect and Preserve Native Languages  and MOU (November 15, 2021)
• USDA Commits to Expanding Tribal Self-Determination (November 15, 2021)
• US DOI News Release: Secretary Haaland Announces Interagency Effort to Protect and Increase Access to Indigenous Sacred Sites (November 16, 2021)
• US DOI News Release: Interior Department Announces Formation of First Tribal Advisory Committee to Strengthen Nation-to-Nation Relationship with Tribes (November 16, 2021)
• US DOI News Release: Interior Department Announces Steps to Increase Transparency, Engagement with White House Council on Native American Affairs (November 17, 2021)
• USDA Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative: The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the formation of the USDA Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative to promote traditional food ways, Indian Country food and agriculture markets, and Indigenous health through foods tailored to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) dietary needs. The initiative is the latest in a series of bold, historic USDA actions to build equitable systems and programming. To kick off the Initiative, the Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) is partnering with several tribal-serving organizations to develop projects that raise awareness of Indigenous perspectives about food and agriculture and inform future USDA programs and policies. Projects will explore issues such as marketing Indigenous-produced foods, supporting seed saving centers, and transitioning to bison production. Read the full announcement

Event Recordings

• The President's Remarks
• Watch Vice President Harris’ Remarks
• The First Lady's Remarks
• Listen to Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet to serve as a U.S. poet laureate read “Eagle Poem”
• Day One Replay
• Day Two Replay