State/Tribal Relations

Strong State/Tribal relationships can advance state environmental policy through thousands of years of ongoing Indigenous ecological knowledge and research. Tribes are more than stakeholders — they are sovereign Nations with a history of Treaty-making with the U.S. government. While states have no authority over Tribal Nations unless granted by Congress, all states have treaty obligations to Tribal Nations, whose Tribal sovereignty exceeds state sovereignty. Federally recognized Tribes are sovereigns with jurisdiction and rights to operate independently from states, including the ability to make stricter or more lenient laws than the states they border. 

Meeting treaty obligations (which are the supreme law of the land) and collaborating with Tribal Nations increases resources through shared management, preventing expensive legal conflict, improving the effectiveness and implementation of environmental programs, and making both states and Tribal Nations more eligible and competitive for federal funding.

The contents of this webpage and NCEL’s ongoing work on State/Tribal issues are an outcome of a partnership with Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) intended to enhance collaboration among philanthropic funders, Tribal leaders, and state officials. Please note that this webpage is not comprehensive and may not be relevant to all contexts within all states.