Innovation Blog Posts

Monday, April 18, 2022

Taking Care of Our First Mother

On Earth Day, we would like to highlight the deep relationship Indigenous peoples have to the land and how Indigenous peoples are responding to climate change around the world. It is an often-cited fact that Indigenous peoples are responsible for land that has 80 percent of the Earth’s biodiversity. Yet it is also true that Indigenous peoples face the brunt of climate change. Today, we focus on ways Indigenous peoples are planning for the future and highlight resources on climate change for Tribal Nations.

As inherent stewards of the land, Tribal Nations are already taking action. Yale 360 documented how the Swinomish are revitalizing their relationship with the ocean...

Click here to read more »

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Indigenous STEAM Reading List 2022

The Indigenous Leadership Academy is currently ongoing. Stay tuned to see updates about the program!

Kristen: When planning this next reading list, Elizabeth Quiroga, student archivist at the Labriola National American Indian Data Center (Labriola Center) and I had something completely different in mind. After some discussion, we decided that Indigenous STEAM would be our next reading list. We tried to stick to the same criteria that no book is more than $40 (US) and all books can be found at the Arizona State University library. Whenever possible, we link the books to the publisher and the Labriola Center, some of which are available through Open Stack.

Elizabeth: When...

Click here to read more »

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Empowering the Next Set of Native Leaders

As AIPI grows, I think a lot about building the next generation of leaders. I think about who will replace me and my colleagues, as well as who will do the hard work on behalf of Tribal Nations in 10 years. I think a lot about not only building on this foundation, but also scaling it. I feel a great responsibility to create a pipeline of learning and mentorship. I am grateful to ASU leadership for their support of this vision, including President Michael Crow, Vice President Bryan Brayboy; Asst. Vice President Jacob Moore; Dean Koppell, and Dean Lietz. I am grateful for funders who also support this vision including...

Click here to read more »

Thursday, April 15, 2021

AIPI Launches Indigenous Leadership Academy

The American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) is proud to announce the creation of the Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA) under the leadership of Traci Morris, Ph.D. (Chickasaw Nation). This new initiative is in partnership with the ASU Office of Government & Community Engagement, and with seed funding from Arizona Public Service (APS). The Indigenous Leadership Academy will support emerging Indigenous leaders in expanding their knowledge, skills, and networks to address public policy issues and engagement in the Tribal government, non-profit, and private sectors.

Tribal governments, communities, nonprofits, and enterprises have challenges and objectives that differ from non-Indigenous entities. Today’s emerging leaders must know how to navigate the challenging environments and changing...

Click here to read more »

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Google Plus Codes - An Alternative Method for Mapping Tribal Lands

In a recent blog post, Google highlighted the work it has done with the Navajo Nation to adopt Google Plus Codes as an alternative to typical physical and mailing address options. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navajo Nation has utilized Plus Codes to map community Wi-Fi hot spots, food distribution and COVID-19 aide locations, and has partnered with shipping companies for the delivery of essential products and goods.

For many tribes, providing accurate physical and mailing addresses to homes and other buildings can be a major challenge due to geographical obstacles and infrastructure limitations. While some homes, businesses, and other structures may have a traditional address capable of...

Click here to read more »