Indian Country Blog Posts

This is an exciting time for Indian Country and for AIPI in support of Tribal needs. I’m pleased to announce that we’ve added two more staff members, making AIPI not only Indigenous-led, but also an Indigenous-staffed policy institute.  We’re ramping up our work, and more changes will take place in the future, but for now, please welcome Kristen Talbert (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate), who is running our Indigenous Leadership Academy, and Hannah Trostle (Cherokee Nation), who is AIPI’s Research Professional.  I am extremely excited to have them both on board and with our team.  They’re doing a great job, and are deeply committed to serving Indian Country through their work!  Please read...

Indian Country has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, largely due to existing inequities exacerbated by the pandemic. Inadequate healthcare, a lack of housing, and underdeveloped infrastructure increased the severity of COVID-19 in Tribal communities. This resulted in an infection rate four times higher, and tragically, mortality rates twice that of other populations. The pandemic’s disproportionate impact emphasizes the importance of addressing underlying systemic inequality as the threat of COVID-19 slowly dissipates and we attempt a return to a ‘new normal’.  

Despite the pandemic’s severity, Indian Country has risen to meet every challenge head-on. Over the past year, Tribal Nations worked tirelessly to efficiently utilize available resources and find innovative ways to...

February was a busy and chaotic month, but in the best way possible. Whether our team attended legislative sessions and conferences, or participated in town hall meetings and committees, it became obvious that a particular theme permeated the atmosphere: hope, or in the Chickasaw language, anhi. 

Anhi (Hope). That is how I feel when I see the phenomenal vaccination programs organized in Tribal communities; simultaneously working to eradicate COVID-19, and also the perception that we are not capable of managing our own affairs. It’s a feeling of comfort in knowing that we are taking care of our elders, the cultural caretakers and language guardians of our traditions. It is the same hope our...

The AIPI are saddened to hear of the loss of Arizona state lawmaker and former Navajo Nation President, Albert Hale. Hale’s dedication to public service is an inspiration to all of us and will continue to influence our work. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. We join those who mourn his loss, and we want to take a moment to recognize a few of Hale’s many significant accomplishments.

 Hale was born in 1950 on the Navajo Nation in Ganado, AZ. He graduated from Fort Wingate High School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) boarding school at the time. He went on to...