November is Native American Heritage Month. This is an opportunity to remember our unique relationship with indigenous peoples and tribal nations, to gather and share common thoughts, to join forces in making positive change, to build and strengthen partnerships, and take home new skills and ideas that can be used in the “every day.”  

The 2021 USDA Native American Heritage Month theme is “Together Toward Tomorrow.” I encourage staff, if they are able, to attend our USDA observance commemorating this month on Nov. 23, 2021, at 1:00 pm ET. 

USDA is an agency focused on good stewardship of the land—whether through natural resources management or agricultural production. Our indigenous nations are the original caretakers of all the beautiful lands across our nation, and America’s first food producers. Indigenous peoples have been cultivating the land within sustainable food systems to feed others since time immemorial. Modern agricultural science around the world is often built on centuries of careful indigenous observation and experimentation. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is at the heart of sustainable agriculture, environmentally sound fire management and good land stewardship practices.

At USDA, we take this month to reflect on our tribal trust and treaty responsibilities. Our priorities for serving Indian Country and striving to meet our obligations reflect three categories: 1) removing unique barriers for indigenous and tribal access to USDA programs and services, 2) promoting tribal self-determination throughout USDA, and 3) adapting USDA’s programs to include tribal values and indigenous perspectives. 
 
One of the key tenets to removing barriers is listening to tribes. At USDA, we take our tribal consultation responsibilities very seriously and work deliberately to engage tribes throughout the decision-making process. One recent example is the extensive tribal consultation we conducted regarding broadband in Indian Country. We heard tribal leaders’ concerns that without tribal knowledge or consent, broadband providers intending to provide service to tribal lands were obtaining USDA loans and grants. Following these consultations, we took action to show our commitment to and respect for tribal sovereignty. The Rural Utilities Service is now requiring a tribal resolution of support for ReConnect broadband project applications that propose service to tribal lands. 
 
Regarding tribal self-determination, decades of experience have proven time and again that tribes know best how to serve the individual needs of their own nations. Tribal leaders are the key voices in any USDA initiatives to protect and sustain tribal lands, waters, and natural resources integral to tribal food systems and to design and promote economic and infrastructure development within their lands. Policies supporting self-determination not only honor our trust and treaty responsibility—they work. That is why we are announcing USDA’s historic commitment to strengthen support for tribal self-determination in implementing federal programs.
 
Each USDA employee has an ethical obligation to learn about our trust and treaty responsibilities. I am pleased to announce the creation of four new training modules that will debut in AgLearn throughout Native American Heritage Month: 1) Historical Overview of the Federal-Tribal Relationship, 2) Federal Trust Responsibility, 3) Tribal Sovereignty and 4) Tribal Consultation, Coordination and Collaboration. 
 
This month also marks the return of the White House Tribal Nations Summit, a pivotal opportunity for USDA to join President Biden in speaking with tribal leaders directly about their needs, challenges and opportunities to partner with them better. Through this summit, USDA looks forward to sharing more about USDA’s meaningful work with and services for tribal communities. 

Thank you for joining me in honoring America’s first food producers and original land stewards during Native American Heritage Month.

You can also view this message at OneUSDA (internal link).