Embassy of Tribal Nations

The Embassy of Tribal Nations is an embassy located in Washington, D.C.[1] that provides a center of operations to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). It was established on November 3, 2009[2] and allowed the NCAI and other tribal groups an opportunity to meet in a designated location.[3] The existence of the Embassy in the United States capital allows international relations between tribes and the U.S. government to be conducted close to each other.

History

The National Congress of American Indians had been planning to create a headquarters to conduct all political and financial business since as early as the eighties.[4][5] Before the Embassy of Tribal Nations was established, the NCAI rented a building.[6] The estate in Washington, D.C. is three stories and was built in the 19th century.[6] NCAI members began raising money with assistance from tribes in the 2000s, and bought the 17,000 square foot, $8.5 million property in April 2009.[4][7] The space was remodeled to fit the needs of its new residents, and adorned with traditional Indian artwork and relics.[4]

Donors

David Anderson, founder of the "Famous Dave" restaurants and former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, donated $50,000 to the cause in 2006.[8]

Opening

The grand opening on November 3, 2009 brought in large numbers of Natives to honor the launch of the new resource, celebrating with food and traditional dances.[4] President Jefferson Keel of the NCAI revealed his thoughts in a press release that day: "For the first time since settlement, tribal nations will have a permanent home in Washington, D.C. where they can more effectively assert their sovereign status and facilitate a much stronger nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government."[6]

Notable guests

Fort Hall Business Council Chairman Alonzo Coby, along with twenty-eight other tribal leaders, was present at the event.[6] Two days later, Coby met with President Obama at the Tribal Nations conference, serving as an ambassador for the Shoshone-Bannock tribes.[6]

Today

One of the buildings is used by other Native American groups, the Native American Rights Fund and the Native American Contractors Association.[4] The Embassy serves as a tangible manifestation of a connection between the United States government and Native Americans, and the NCAI updates their website regularly to keep the public aware of their happenings.[9]

Impact

The Embassy also serves as a landmark to Indigenous people and groups, as the official website states "People from across the nation-from Cabinet officials to school children, college students and leaders of national foundations-visit the Embassy each year and leave with a deepened and renewed understanding of our nation-to-nation relationship and the unique contribution tribal nations make to America and the world."[10]

References
  1. Sabzalian, Leilani (3 July 2019). "The tensions between Indigenous sovereignty and multicultural citizenship education: Toward an anticolonial approach to civic education". Theory & Research in Social Education. 47 (3): 311–346. doi:10.1080/00933104.2019.1639572. S2CID 201415367.
  2. "Tribal Leaders From Across Indian Country to Gather in Washington to Open Embassy of Tribal Nations" (Press release). National Congress of American Indians. 30 October 2009. ProQuest 451233372.
  3. Naples, Nancy A.; Méndez, Jennifer Bickham (2014). Border Politics: Social Movements, Collective Identities, and Globalization. ISBN 978-1-4798-0679-9. OCLC 893439520.
  4. Capriccioso, Rob (18 November 2009). "Tribal embassy opens to great fanfare". Indian Country Today. pp. 1, 3. ProQuest 362660365.
  5. Kunesh, Patrice H. (Fall 2009). "Constant Governments: Tribal Resilience and Regeneration in Changing Times". Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy. 19 (1). SSRN 1565124.
  6. Wahtomy, Roselynn (5 November 2009). "NCAI Tribal Embassy opens". Sho-Ban News. p. A1. ProQuest 367483486.
  7. "NCAI Purchases Building for Tribal Embassy in DC". The Circle. Minneapolis. 1 June 2009. p. 2. ProQuest 196598060.
  8. "'Famous' Dave donates stock for tribal embassy project; Leaders want to create a Washington D.C. home". Native American Times. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 13 January 2006. p. 5. ProQuest 367553705.
  9. Wiremu, Fiona; Gillies, Annemarie; Mika, Jason; Smith, Graham; Ngawati, Maria (July 30, 2021). "Persisting Inequalities and the Potential for Intervention Through 'New; Governance Models" (PDF).
  10. "Embassy of Tribal Nations | NCAI". www.ncai.org. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
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