Tribal Leader Roundtable

Through intense focus on five priority areas – exercising sovereignty, encouraging prosperity, promoting health, creating efficiency, and restoring culture – we are ensuring our tribe has the necessary resources and roadmap to provide for the next seven generations.

Economic development has been a priority for us, especially over the past three years. We’ve purchased several properties and are now actively moving forward with plans to bring them into tribal trust ownership.

As Chairman of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, I see resilience as our tribe’s ability to stand strong economically while staying rooted in our identity and traditions. We are taking bold strategic steps to ensure that strength lasts generations.

Since my coming into office in the summer of July 2024, we have reestablished our economic development arm, which is looking to increase support for Native-owned businesses, expanding their scope on innovative business ventures, and increasing their efforts in the non-profit sector...

Economic development and cultural resilience are two points that must move on parallel tracks. We cannot achieve economic development at the sacrifice of our culture. It's likely one of the reasons that our petition for federal recognition languished for over 40 years.

I am immensely proud to share that the Karuk Tribe is continuing to make major strides towards our long-term economic and cultural resilience. Recently, we celebrated a major victory with the passing of California’s new cultural burn law (SB 310).

We are growing and diversifying our tribal enterprise portfolio, and we are also growing in tribal membership through birthrate. Like the old saying goes, “you can either grow or die” and we have chosen to grow.

The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians believes in the sovereignty of all tribes to be able to provide for their people. But, we believe strongly that this right should not allow for one tribe’s economic enterprises to be at the expense of sister tribes...

Our primary focus for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ gaming and entertainment enterprises this year is on growth, innovation, and enhancing the overall guest experience.

This month, four tribal leaders discuss the steps their tribes are taking to ensure the long-term economic and cultural resilience of their communities, and...