Native Relations Training

Target Audience: 

To build capacity in all Service programs at all levels, and to ensure an optimal learning experience, this course is intended for regional employees in one of the following categories:

• Positions that interact with Tribes and/or whose work directly affects Tribal Nations regardless of position or grade.
• Management and supervisory positions (GS 11-15), especially project leaders and field supervisors.
• Positions relatively new to the Service (less than three years), including “transfers”, regardless of grade and position.

Summary and Objectives:

 Native peoples have lived from, with, and as a part of the environment since time and immemorial, and as such, have a direct connection to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) mission. This regionally based Native Relations Training aims to deepen understanding of Native American cultures, enhance sensitivity, and foster effective engagement with Tribal communities. USFWS employees will explore ways to honor our nation-to-nation relationship and engage directly with Elders and Tribal Leaders to build trust and respect through culture and knowledge sharing. Through a mix of lectures, activities, cultural experiences, and direct engagement with Indigenous experts and community members, participants will gain invaluable insights and practical skills for respectful and meaningful interactions with Native American communities. Course participants will commit themselves to a process that takes indigenous knowledge and culture to heart when addressing the challenges we face: health, economic, racial justice, and climate crises — all of which disproportionately impact federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), Alaska Native Organizations (ANOs) and the Native Hawaiian Community (NHC).

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain Native history, spirituality, and the importance of cultural awareness.  
• Explore methods for cultivating and sustaining trustworthy relationships with Tribal Nations, promoting respectful and meaningful interactions.
• Formulate strategies for fostering collaborative research and knowledge sharing between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Tribal communities.
• Establish and implement best practices pertaining to policies associated with Tribal Trust Responsibility and Tribal Sovereignty. 
• Define co-stewardship and co-management and their importance in collaborative natural resource management efforts between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Tribal nations.

Competency Addressed: 

Communication - Basic, Empathy - Basic, Interpersonal skills - Basic, Legal, Government and Jurisprudence - Basic, Leveraging Diversity - Basic, Listening - Intermediate