Tribal Relations

Programs

Under Construction

It is the policy of the Department of the Interior to recognize and fulfill its legal obligations to identify, protect, and conserve the trust resources of federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal members, and to consult with tribes on a government-to-government basis whenever plans or actions affect tribal trust resources, trust assets, or tribal health and safety (512 DM 2: Departmental Responsibilities for Indian Trust Resources).

This page will be updated as schedules and staff time permits. Please also see the SharePoint Site for the HQ400 Directorate: National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships for resources.

NOTE: Materials available from these pages are contributed by BLM staff. The collections are being developed and may be an incomplete baseline of relevant content. It is expected that each collection will continue growing in time to reflect the most current information available.

HQ400 Directorate SharePoint: National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships

It is the policy of the Department of the Interior to recognize and fulfill its legal obligations to identify, protect, and conserve Tribal trust resources; carry out its trust relationship with Federally recognized Tribes and Tribal members; and invite Tribes to consult on a government-to-government basis whenever there is a Departmental Action with Tribal Implications. All Bureaus and Offices shall make good-faith efforts to invite Tribes to consult early in the planning process and throughout the decision-making process and engage in robust, interactive, pre-decisional, informative, and transparent consultation when planning actions with Tribal implications. It is the policy of the Department to seek consensus with impacted Tribes in accordance with the Consensus-Seeking Model.

It is the policy of the Department to recognize and fulfill its legal obligations to consult with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporations on the same basis as Indian Tribes under Executive Order 13175. All Bureaus and Offices shall make good-faith efforts to invite ANCSA Corporations to consult early in the planning process and throughout the decision-making process and engage in robust, interactive, pre-decisional, informative, and transparent consultation when planning actions with ANCSA Corporation implications. It is the policy of the Department to seek consensus throughout the consultation process.

Department of the Interior

Departmental Manual Part 512: American Indian and Alaska Native Programs (see DOI ELIPS for additional chapters under this part, such as consultation procedures).
- 512 DM 2: Departmental Responsibilities for Indian Trust Resources
- 512 DM 3: Departmental Responsibilities for Protecting/Accommodating Access to Indian Sacred Sites
- 512 DM 4: Department of the Interior Policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes
- 512 DM 6: Department of the Interior Policy on Consultation with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Corporations

Bureau of Land Management

BLM Manual 1780 Tribal Relations (P)

The Department of the Interior, through its Bureaus and Offices, will seek to use collaborative and cooperative stewardship arrangements with Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations, consistent with applicable law, whenever the fulfillment of its management and mission responsibilities could affect Federal lands and waters, including wildlife and its habitat, that are subject to treaty, reserved, or other applicable rights of Tribes and the Native Hawaiian Community.

The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture signed a joint Secretarial Order in 2021 to facilitate co-stewardship of Federal lands and waters with recognized Indian Tribes and the Native Hawaiian community. Since then, DOI has signed several co-stewardship agreements and issued new policy guidance to strengthen co-stewardship.

DOI Office of Policy Analysis

Website
Order No. 3403. Joint Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters
Current Land, Water, and Wildlife Authorities that can support Tribal Stewardship and Co-Stewardship, Final Report. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, November 2022.
Departmental Manual Chapters: Part 502, Collaborative and Cooperative Stewardship with Tribes and the Native Hawaiian Community
- 502 DM 1: Policy and Responsibilities
- 502 DM 2: Committee on Collaborative and Cooperative Stewardship

Bureau of Land Management

Permanent Instruction Memorandum (PIM) 2022-011: Co-Stewardship with Federally Recognized Indian and Alaska Native Tribes Pursuant to Secretary’s Order 3403

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Website
National Policy Memorandum NPM-DBIA-2 A1. Expires: 11/16/24. Supporting Tribal Nations in Stewardship of Federal Lands and Water – Amendment 1

Annual Reports on Co-Stewardship

Implementation of Joint Secretarial Order 3403: Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters

Other Resources

University of Washington School of Law
- Sovereign-to-Sovereign Cooperative Agreements
  https://lib.law.uw.edu/c.php?g=1329421&p=9788556
Congressional Research Service
- Tribal Co-management of Federal Lands: Overview and Selected Issues for Congress
  (Congressional Research Service, R47563, May 18, 2023)
  https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47563

It is the Department of the Interior's policy to respect and promote the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in the Department’s decision making, resource management, program implementation, policy development, scientific research, and other actions. The Department recognizes IK as one of the many important knowledge systems that contribute to the scientific, technical, social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of the United States and to the collective understanding of the natural world. The term “Indigenous Knowledge” should be used by the Department. If a different term is preferred by the Indigenous nation or community with whom the Department is working, the appropriate office should consider using the preferred term, while explaining why it has been chosen.

Department of the Interior Resources

Departmental Manual Chapter: 301 DM 7 Departmental Responsibilities for Consideration and Inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in Departmental Actions and Scientific Research
Departmental Handbook: under development
Departmental Training: under development

Federal Interagency Guidance

White House - OSTP/CEQ Indigenous Knowledge guidance and resources: website
- OSTP/CEQ Memorandum: Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Federal Decision Making (Nov 2021)
- OSTP/CEQ Guidance: Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge (Nov 2022)
- OSTP/CEQ Implementation Memorandum: Implementation of Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge (Nov 2022)
- Supporting materials
  - OSTP Blog: What is “Indigenous Knowledge” And Why Does It Matter? Integrating Ancestral Wisdom and Approaches into Federal Decision-Making (Dec 2022)
  - WHCNAA - Best Practices for Identifying and Protecting Tribal Treaty Rights, Reserved Rights, and other Similar Rights in Federal Regulatory Actions and Federal Decision-Making (Nov 2022)
  - WHCNAA - Webinar on "Guidance on Indigenous Knowledge for Federal Agencies and Departments". YouTube video (Jan 2023)

Other Agency / Bureau Resources

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Website
- Policy Statement on Indigenous Knowledge and Historic Preservation (March 21, 2024)
US Mission to the United Nations
- U.S. Statement: UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), 18th Session Agenda Item 9; Traditional Knowledge: Generation, Transmission, and Protection (April 26, 2019)
- US Government Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Side Event on Traditional Knowledge. Key Recommendations, Questions, and Comments Raised by Attendees (April 24, 2019)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Tribal Resources & Updates
- Guidance and Best Practices for Engaging and Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in Decision-Making
US Forest Service
- Update your lexicon: Indigenous Knowledge replaces Native Knowledge
  An "Inside the FS" article with a succinct explanation and links to FS Manuals, terminology, and how FS considers Indigenous Knowledge a source of best available scientific information during land management planning projects.
  https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/excel/update-your-lexicon-indigenous-knowledge-replaces-native
- Tribal Cultural and Heritage Cooperation Authority Technical Guide: A Companion to the Forest Service Directives For implementing the Cultural and Heritage Cooperation Authority. 25 U.S. Code Chapter 32A.
  See especially Chapter 4 for USFS authority on confidentiality available only to USFS. https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/2018%20USDA%20Forest%20ServiceTechnicalGuide%20508.pdf
National Park Service
- Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge