Facebook Instagram X-twitter Linkedin Youtube

We Are Still Here:
tribal sovereignty & Home

Welcome to Native American Heritage Month

Back to News

We Are Still Here

One fact in the history of the United States is that Native Americans are not immigrants and have been stewarding the northern lands of the Western Hemisphere for millennia before colonial contact. We know that the colonial pilgrims recognized this as they first encountered Native sovereign nations in the name of peace and respect.

The most significant act they implemented in the name of peace and respect was to form treaties with the first encountered Native Nations—a treaty is a binding formal agreement, contract, or other written instrument that establishes obligations between two or more subjects of international law (primarily states and international organizations)1. As such, these lands across the U.S. are the original homelands to well over 500 different tribes and bands—some that are now nonexistent due to many annihilating factors such as disease, genocide, inhumane relocations and removals.
What Was Ours Promotional
This cultural aspect of American history and Native Americans’ resilience to survive, resist, regain and retain—always for the next generation of our people—is vital for every world citizen to learn and know. So we, as Native Americans do not undervalue or underestimate any of this; and despite all the atrocities against humanity, “we are still here” or “Âs Nutayuneân” in the Wampanoag language2.
Warrior Women promo photo

These empowering words have been said and repeated countless times in many different Native languages. In our Native American contemporary world and lives, the phrase reminds us of the history, death and survival of our ancestors, the battles that were fought, as well as signaling us to embrace home, where we honor and appreciate our elders, celebrate our cultural history through contemporary holidays, or celebrate our traditional feasts and community practices back home in our original homelands. Together, the notion of “Tribal Sovereignty and Home” encompasses all that is explained as a holistic concept, and serves to empower and heal us as we, Native Americans, are still here.

1 Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/treaty, October 26, 2020 

2 The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, https://mashpeewam panoagtribe-nsn.gov/, October 27, 2020

Back to News

Walt Pourier

Vice Chair

Walt is Oglala Lakota and created the logo for Urban Rez. He is Creative Director, owner of Nakota Designs Advertising Designs and Graphics. Executive Director of the Stronghold Society nonprofit dedicated to instilling hope and supporting youth movements through Live Life Call To Action Campaigns.

Contact

lynn palmanteer-holder

Lynn Palmanteer-Holder, an Indigenous plateau woman of North Central Washington and member of eight of twelve Tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Lynn recently retired as inaugural Director of Tribal Government Affairs for Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the state’s oversight agency of 34 CTCs.  She is a highly accomplished professional that spans over 40 years. She is an experienced educator that has a demonstrated history across K12, post-secondary & higher education as a teacher, school counselor, superintendent, researcher, and professor. Also, she has diverse experience as an entrepreneur, Tribal leader and administrator. She is skilled in curriculum and program development, facilitating government to government relationships that led to formal partnerships between state institutions and Tribes developing custom programs. Lynn has served on many boards and has been recognized for various statewide, and national awards. She has several scholarly publications and has done various conference presentations and speaking engagements, at the local, national and international level. Lynn holds a Ph.C. (ABD) in Social Welfare Policy from University of Washington. She earned her M.Ed., with a concentration in counseling psychology from Washington State University and B.Ed., in K12 Education from Eastern Washington University. Lynn is a wife of 49 years, a mother of three adult professional children, granny of 10 and great granny to two. Lynn and her husband are high school sweethearts, and together enjoy time with their 15+ two-legged blessings.