Native Unity

The National Congress of American Indians

The National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities. Since 1944, the National Congress of American Indians has been working to inform the public and Congress on the governmental rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Walking Shield
A nonprofit organization, Walking Shield works to improve the lives of American Indian families through programs to provide shelter, health  care, community development, and educational assistance. DoD coordinates with the program to provide surplus relocatable military housing units for the tribes’ use.

United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET)

USET is dedicated to promoting Indian leadership, improving the quality of life for American Indians, and protecting Indian rights and resources on Tribal lands. Although its guiding principle is unity, USET plays a major role in the self-determination of all member Tribes by working to improve the capabilities of Tribal governments. Established in 1969, United South and Eastern Tribes Inc., is a non-profit, intertribal organization that collectively represents its member Tribes at the regional and national level.

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)

ATNI is a nonprofit organization representing 57 Northwest tribal governments from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, southeast Alaska, Northern California and Western Montana. Through its conferences, forums, networks and alliances, it is the intent of ATNI to represent and advocate for the interests of its member Tribes to national Indian and non-Indian organizations and governments.

Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN)

The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 178 villages (both federally-recognized tribes and village corporations), 13 regional Native corporations and 12 regional nonprofit and tribal consortiums that contract and run federal and state programs. The mission of AFN is to enhance and promote the cultural, economic and political voice of the entire Alaska Native community.

Western Regional Partnership

In November 2007, state and tribal executive leadership from the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah met with senior leaders from DoD and other Federal agencies to establish a regional-senior policy level partnership. The Western Regional Partnership (WRP) was formed to eliminate redundancies in resource management, create a strong working entity to address issues of regional significance and develop solutions for the five-state region.

Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes (MAST)

The  Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes (MAST), founded in 1996, represents the 35 sovereign tribal nations of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan. Altogether, MAST represents nearly 134,000 American Indian people. MAST’s mission is to “advance, protect, preserve, and  enhance the mutual interests, treaty rights, sovereignty, and cultural  way of life of the sovereign nations of the Midwest throughout the 21st  century.” The organization coordinates important public policy issues and initiatives at the state, regional and federal levels, promotes unity and cooperation among member tribes and advocates for member tribes.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) within HHS promotes the self-sufficiency and cultural preservation for Native Americans by providing social and economic development opportunities, language preservation, development of environmental regulations, and family preservation goals of tribes through financial assistance, training, and technical assistance to eligible tribes and Native American communities.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ mission is to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.

Bureau of Indian Education

The Bureau of Indian Education’s mission is to provide quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with a tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO) at EPA coordinates the agency-wide effort to strengthen public health and environmental protection in Indian Country. The Tribal Solid Waste Interagency Workgroup assists tribes to clean up and close non-compliant solid waste sites and developing alternative disposal options and integrated solid waste management plans.

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

The ACHP promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation’s historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy. The ACHP Native American Program provides technical assistance and outreach on Native American historical matters.