Nia Tero Annual Report 2023 ENGLISH Single pages - Flipbook - Page 29
Heiltsuk Nation
Deepening ties with the Heiltsuk Nation,
Nia Tero continued its support of the
Nation’s cultural revitalization, food
security programs and guardianship
work, with land and waters monitoring,
youth engagement, and governance
and leadership efforts.
Indigenous Leadership
Initiative (ILI)
Nia Tero strengthened partnerships with
ILI and the First Nations National Guardian
Network in Canada, supporting the growth
of Indigenous guardians programs from
coast to coast. The success of this initiative
over the years resulted in the Canadian
federal government’s recognition of the
efficacy of Indigenous guardianship
in environmental conservation. This
federal recognition included a dedicated
investment of $800 million in Canadian
dollars in long-term funding structures
for Indigenous-led guardianship and
conservation across Canada. A traditional
Innu gathering structure was erected on
Parliament Hill, publicly symbolizing and
acknowledging the benefits that First
Nations guardians programs generate
for lands and waters across Canada.
These benefits include climate resilience
and biodiversity conservation, as well as
betterment of social issues, including job
creation, and sustaining and revitalizing
Indigenous cultures and languages.
and fostering abundant ecosystems and
thriving guardianship in Blackfeet Territory.
The Blackfeet call their guardians “Shield
Keepers.” Shield Keepers are becoming a
major force for Indigenous-led conservation
on tribal lands. The release of the bison
in an area of sacred cultural significance
in the Blackfeet reservation was a powerful
act of reclamation and assertion of
sovereignty, occurring over a century after
the bison were on the edge of extinction
and the tribe having suffered so much
settler trauma and devastation.
U.S. Indigenous
Guardian Network
Collaborating closely with multiple
organizations, including ILI and others,
Nia Tero helped host a series of national
virtual conversations with Indigenous
leaders from the United States to explore
interest in creating a U.S. Indigenous
Guardian Network. Interest in the U.S.
Indigenous guardianship and stewardship
movement is gaining traction from
numerous factors, including through
commitments from the U.S. Department of
the Interior, reflecting a growing recognition
of Indigenous stewardship in land
protection. The U.S. Indigenous Guardian
Network conversations were a space for
sharing, learning, and planning for a national
in-person gathering to take place in 2024.
Blackfeet Nation
Deepening our long-standing partnership
with the Blackfeet Nation and more broadly
the Blackfoot Confederacy, Nia Tero helped
support Blackfeet historic actions, including
significant cultural revitalization efforts
on the Blackfeet Nation – retiring grazing
leases and reintroducing native buffalo,
$700K
2023 GRANTS
Thriving Peoples. Thriving Places.
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