Page 57 - GIC Manifesto.m

October 2017. The Act seeks to strengthen consultation requirements and protections for our
religious and ceremonial practices. Like the treaty, the Act outlines a redefinition of the
federal-tribal relationship in land and endangered species management that would strengthen
tribal sovereignty. Congressman Raul Grijalva re-introduced the Act in the 116th Congress.
The Act supports what one of GIC’s founder tribes, the Piikani Nation, has long advocated
for: A Native American Endangered Species Act (NA-ESA) that we, as tribal nations, can
implement on our lands, unburdened by federal government regulation. Central to the NA-
ESA would be our Traditional Ecological Knowledge, so that the practices and tenets of the
NA-ESA would be in accordance with our cultural values. It would not be a “one size fits all”
act; fundamental to it would be the flexibility to adapt articles of the act to reflect an individual
tribe’s traditional culture and contemporary circumstances. This, we feel, would continue the
mission of the Grizzly Treaty and the THGBPA, to bring about “cultural, economic, and
environmental revitalization” for our people.

The NA-ESA will provide for education, training, and vocational opportunities in preparing
tribal members in the fields of science and biology to undertake our own management
programs. Crucially, this initiative will also provide for eco-tourism opportunities; from training
and employing guides, to reservation/reserve infrastructure potential through the hospitality
industry, which will allow for outside business investment to be attracted. Each aspect will
foster cultural revitalization and immersion, as all of these initiatives can be undertaken in a
cultural context, which aids in the perpetuation of culture. GIC will actively pursue the NA-
ESA, and advocate that the framework for the legislation be compatible for adoption by tribal
nations in the four hemispheres. The name can be changed to reflect the tribe and continent.
Our culture cannot be changed, and we refuse to be kept hostage to a colonial doctrine any
longer. We do not need permission to take control of our destiny, and that of our two-legged,
four-legged and winged relatives. Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ. © Chris Willson.

Cousins of the Great Bear: The Ainu
people of Hokkaido Island, Japan.