First Nations Development Institute

As part of a series on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Indian Country Today explores how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy showed American colonizers an example of a thriving democracy, in which distinct communities could remain sovereign, yet still be united under one government.

It is an example that played a critical role in the development of the U.S. Constitution and democratic framework. At the same time, there are still lessons that should be learned from the Haudenosaunee people, including those surrounding environmental issues and global Indigenous rights.

➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/4uZDIAC

To advance traditional forest management, First Nations supports tribes and Native-led nonprofits in building capacity of their tribal forestry programs through the purchase of essential forestry equipment – a funding need that many state and federal agencies often restrict.

This summer, seven community partners were provided grants in support of forest equipment purchases as part of First Nations’ evolving Fortifying Our Forest project.

➡️ Read about the community partners: https://bit.ly/4obJjkM

There’s something powerful happening across books, films, podcasts, and television shows. Native creators and Native voices are more and more often leading the narrative. When this happens, our communities see themselves reflected with accuracy and dignity, and broader audiences gain a deeper understanding of Native life, history, and brilliance.

Representation is a pathway to equity. It shifts public understanding, strengthens cultural pride, and opens doors for improvements in policy and philanthropy. When Native stories are visible, Native issues become more difficult to ignore.

At First Nations, we work to bring Native stories to the world. Here are a few staff-recommended voices to listen to, learn from, and uplift you:

🟠 Reservation Dogs, television show (https://bit.ly/49CN2C9)

🟠 Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity by Joseph Lee (https://bit.ly/4xnqhwj)

🟠 All My Relations, podcast (https://bit.ly/4dMSpkw)

🟠 Miss Navajo, documentary (https://bit.ly/4uMpbsd)

🟠 There There by Tommy Orange (https://bit.ly/4vuZYm1)

🟠 Beyond Blood Quantum: Refusal to Disappear, edited by Norbert S. Hill Jr. & Megan Minoka Hill (https://bit.ly/4wVyRBY)

🟠 Bellingham: The City of Some Dude’s Excitement by Richard “Lotni” Elm-Hill (https://bit.ly/4wVyRBY)

🟠 Finding Our Bellybuttons, podcast (https://bit.ly/4fnAouo)

Meet 2025 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow Denise Davis!

Native artist and designer Denise Davis (Mountain Maidu) comes from a long line of well-known, accomplished basket weavers. But she didn’t start weaving until after her three sons were off to school. Today, she is one of only two tribal members left trained by elders in the traditional “old way” of weaving Maidu baskets.

She has made a name for herself as a celebrated Maidu weaver and co-founder of the California Indian Basketweavers Association (CIBA), dedicating her life to teaching and inspiring the next generation of basket weavers — both here in the U.S. and in Europe.

➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/3RMUbtk

To further invest in Native stewardship that will, in turn, promote biodiversity and restore watershed health, First Nations is supporting multiple tribes and Native-led organizations through the Advancing Tribal Nature-Based Solutions project. The 2026 grantees (announcement coming soon!) will be focused on strengthening tribal efforts within the Colorado River Basin, building adaptive capacity and advancing community-based watershed restoration efforts.

The Colorado River headwaters are in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the river flows through seven states until it ends at the Gulf of California (if it reaches that far). These seven states rely on the Colorado River for agricultural and municipal uses. With this year being the worst for Colorado snowpack in recorded history, there is an increased need to address water management and conservation in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
➡️ Read more in High Country News: https://bit.ly/4uHBqpP

In a 2025 proclamation to work together to protect the Colorado River, Chairwoman Amelia Flores of First Nations community partner Colorado River Indian Tribes, said, “All of us who live in Arizona, Native and non-Native alike, are connected by water, for without water, there is no life. And it is that common thread that binds us, which has us here today, pledging to work together for the greater good of all who live in Arizona.”
➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/43fpL5w

📷: Know Your Water News

REMINDER: Apply Now for Native Agriculture and Food Systems Investments Scholarship

First Nations’ Native Agriculture and Food Systems Investments Scholarships support Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian college students to ultimately better assist their communities with their food systems efforts. Again this year, First Nations will award 20 to 25 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 to $1,500 each for the 2026-2027 academic school year to Native college or university students majoring in agriculture and agriculture-related fields.

➡️ Learn more and apply by Tuesday, June 16, 2026: https://bit.ly/4dKjfd5

💬 Tag someone in the comments to share this scholarship opportunity!

📣 Register Now for June Webinar: Conservation Easements and the Tribal Fee-to-Trust Process 📣

Conservation easements are meant to protect nature, but for tribes they often stand in the way of securing federal trust status. At the same time, placing land into federal trust can better position tribes to protect and steward that land for the long term.

This upcoming webinar shares new legal research examining pathways to successfully place easement-encumbered land into federal trust. The webinar will cover the reasons tribes may seek to transfer ancestral lands into federal trust, options for protecting conservation values on the lands they own, and how existing conservation restrictions can remain enforceable even after land enters federal trust.

➡️ The Conservation Easements and the Tribal Fee-to-Trust Process webinar will take place Tuesday, June 23, at 1 pm Mountain Time. Register: https://bit.ly/3ShTHeQ

Last week, First Nations was honored to accompany staff from the Freeman Foundation on a visit to the Blackfeet Nation Buffalo Program in Browning, Montana. The visit provided an opportunity to connect with tribal buffalo staff about their efforts to restore free-ranging buffalo across the Blackfeet Reservation – work that is featured in the PBS documentary Bring Them Home and in a soon-to-be-released short documentary called IINNIIWA. Buffalo, a culturally relevant species, is critical for sustaining Native cultures and lifeways, grassland health, and community wellbeing.

The Blackfeet Nation Buffalo Program is supported through the Stewarding Native Lands’ American Buffalo Restoration on Tribal Lands in Montana and Wyoming project. ➡️ Learn more: https://bit.ly/4e4HDVT

Siksiksimasiituk to our gracious hosts of these amazing visits.

📷: (left to right) Latonna Spotted Eagle (Blackfeet), Graeme Freeman, Nancy Freeman, Mike Roberts (Tlingit), Jacque Demko (Three Affiliated Tribes), Ervin Carlson (Blackfeet)

📣 Education Opportunity: Indigenous Teacher Preparation 📣

Central New Mexico Community College is offering a paid, yearlong program for individuals who want to teach in and for Native communities. The residency-based teacher preparation program integrates immersive classroom experience with specialized coursework designed to honor Indigenous knowledge systems. The school is actively recruiting for the fall 2026 semester.

➡️ Learn more: https://bit.ly/4nXACuo

📣 Application Now Open for Native Agriculture and Food Systems Scholarship 📣

First Nations’ Native Agriculture and Food Systems Investments Scholarships support Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian college students to ultimately better assist their communities with their food systems efforts. Again this year, First Nations will award 20 to 25 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 to $1,500 each for the 2026-2027 academic school year to Native college or university students majoring in agriculture and agriculture-related fields.

➡️ Learn more and apply by Tuesday, June 16, 2026: https://bit.ly/4nTcfxX