NT-2024-AR - Flipbook - Page 36
OUR WORK
North America
Highlights
In 2024, an emerging U.S. Indigenous
Guardians movement – inspired by the
successful model established by our
partners at the Indigenous Leadership
Initiative (ILI) – brought together over
60 Indigenous leaders and organizations
from across the U.S. and Canada for an
in-person gathering hosted by the Lummi
Nation in Coast Salish Territory. This coalition,
involving partners and collaborators including
ILI, the Alaska Conservation Foundation,
the Christensen Fund, Native Americans in
Philanthropy, the Native American Rights
Fund, and others, laid the foundation for
a movement to connect and strengthen
Indigenous guardians programs across the
contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Hawai'i. Together,
the group defined a vision and a strategy to
grow the network and resource capacity to
protect homelands and our environment for
future generations.
Our Blackfeet Nation partners
demonstrated remarkable leadership in
revitalizing their culture throughout 2024.
Through our partnership with the Blackfeet
Nation, we affirmed our commitment to
supporting Indigenous-led conservation,
cultural revitalization, and the long-term
restoration of buffalo as a keystone species
across the plains. The Blackfeet-led nonprofit,
Blackfeet ECO Knowledge, hosted one of the
largest Akao’katsin circle camps, bringing
together community members, youth, and
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knowledge keepers in a powerful gathering
dedicated to preparing for the continued
restoration of buffalo. The camp also
provided a crucial space for intergenerational
knowledge transfer to ensure that culture,
ceremonies, and other land-based practices
remain central to the Blackfeet way of life.
A historic moment occurred during New
York Climate Week when the Blackfeet
successfully reclaimed a sacred ceremonial
bundle from the American Museum of
Natural History. This repatriation marked an
important step in ongoing efforts to return
such artifacts to their rightful keepers while
strengthening the Nation’s spiritual continuity
and cultural rebirth.
Nia Tero also provided key support for
“Bring Them Home,” a documentary
chronicling the release of over 30 wild bison
at Ninna-stako, the most sacred Blackfoot
site. This film, which premiered at the Seattle
International Film Festival, showcased the
cultural and ecological significance of buffalo
restoration and amplified Blackfeet voices
who are working to heal historical wounds
through land and species stewardship.
This documentary also sparked broader
conversations about Indigenous sovereignty,
conservation, and the need to restore balance
to North America’s ecosystems.
Our longstanding partnership with the
Heiltsuk Nation continued to grow in 2024
Nia Tero
