Group A Policy Brief: Lack of Indigenous Community Involvement in Policy Making

by Kayla Bolen, Madison Norman, Gabrielle DeCotiis, Coral Bowman, Jaimie DeDea, Jenny Ballard, and Zoe Hessian

After doing a systematic data analysis about sustainability related to Indigenous communities in the United States, it became evident that there is not much Indigenous community involvement in policy making surrounding this issue. This is a problem because in order for policy to make actual positive change, it must reflect the needs of the people it is aiming to serve. As policy making requires a more inclusive approach, Indigenous people must be considered stakeholders in the formation of policy which influences their livelihoods. Indigenous people are protectors of most of the world’s biodiversity, and certain groups have been managing lands for thousands of years. In the past, colonial ideals proved detrimental to Indigenous history causing it to be largely erased and in turn, their ecological knowledge is limited in broader access. To protect these lands in our changing environment, it is paramount that input from Indigenous people is obtained.

As changes and policies are being made in the United States related to sustainability, it is imperative that society incorporates Indigenous communities in the policy making process by including Indigenous people in all levels of government and providing ways for people in Indigenous communities to voice their opinions. However, while this should be the goal, it is not the reality based on the information the systematic data analysis provided. Figure 3.4a showed that most did not mention policy measures. In fact, 54.1% (n=45) did not include policy measures, 36.5% (n=31) did include policy measures, and 9.4% (n=8) of the data was left blank. Out of all the studies, 11.8% (n=10) mentioned legislation made for tribes, 13.7% (n=12) mentioned legislation made within tribes, 31.4% (n=26) mentioned community involvement, and 43.1% (n=36) did not mention tribal involvement at all. This is interesting because it shows that when policy is made to address sustainability within indigenous communities in the United States, it generally is not made by interacting with indigenous communities.

The United States has the benefit as an acting democracy to vote Indigenous peoples in positions of authority. When voices of representation are accurate in portraying American voices, policy becomes better suited to address sustainable issues that influence society as a whole. When Indigenous voices are provided a platform to share environmental expertise, the scope of Indigenous knowledge grows to become more accepted in society. It is important to note that we cannot suggest the entrance of political figureheads without acknowledging the financial requirement that supports political campaigns. As another recommendation, research to include and catalog Indigenous knowledge could be supported by grants in higher education. In general, Indigenous knowledge may not be easily accessible until a larger database is collected. Overall, with an Indigenous population of 5.2 million people, the United States must incorporate these voices into policy making and recognize the wealth of generational knowledge that could support sustainable policy.