WEBVTT
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Language: en

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(Music)

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This Week at Interior

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(Sound of Native drumming, singing)

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The Department of the Interior hosted the
third White House Tribal Nations Summit of

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the Biden-Harris administration this week.

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The annual gathering provides an opportunity
for administration and Tribal leaders to discuss

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ways to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships
and ensure that progress for Indian Country

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continues for years to come.

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President Biden addressed the summit, then
signed an Executive Order reforming how the

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government supports Tribal Nations by making
it easier to access federal funding opportunities

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to help grow their economies and provide their
citizens with vital services

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It's hard work to heal the wrongs of the past
and change the course and move forward.

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But the actions we're taking today are key
steps into that new era of Tribal sovereignty

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and self-determination -- a new era grounded
in dignity and respect that recognizes your

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fundamental rights to govern and grow on your
own terms.

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That's what this summit is all about.

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In our work to build a better and brighter
future President Biden and I are also committed

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to bridging the deep disparities that still
hold so many Native communities back, including

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disparities in education, economic opportunity
and health care.

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One of the ways we are doing this is through
our investment in high-speed internet.

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Because as we all know in the 21st century,
high-speed internet is not a luxury, it's

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a necessity.

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It is undeniable that federal policies set
out to break Indigenous peoples, to destroy

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our cultures, our lifeways and our inherent
connection to the land.

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I think it is also undeniable that those policies
failed.

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They failed to break us and now we're bringing
every resource to bear to restore what they

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set out to destroy.

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At the Tribal Nations Summit, Secretary Haaland
announced that the National Park Service will

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collaborate with Tribes across the nation
on a new theme study focusing on the Indian

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Reorganization Period.

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A theme study provides a national historic
context for specific topics in American history

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or prehistory, as well as evaluation guidance
and a list of properties for study as possible

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future National Historic Landmarks.

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It's all part of Interior's effort to ensure
that Native American history is recognized

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as American history.

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Secretary Haaland also announced new steps
to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships.

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The Department released its second annual
report on Tribal co-stewardship of lands and

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waters, highlighting the nearly 200 agreements
that Interior and other agencies have made

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with Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and
consortiums this year alone.

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The Department has made strides to incorporate
Indigenous Knowledge into our work, formalizing

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it as a pillar of our work through a new Departmental
chapter.

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As part of the President’s executive order,
the Department and White House Council on

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Native American Affairs launched an online
clearinghouse to serve as a repository for

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all federal funding opportunities available
to Tribal Nations and Native businesses in

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order to improve access to capital across
Indian Country.

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The Biden-Harris administration has made historic
amounts of funding available to Indigenous

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communities through President Biden’s Investing
in America Agenda.

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Department leaders also announced a final
rule to revise regulations that implement

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the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA.

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These regulations provide systematic processes
for returning Native American human remains,

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funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects
of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants,

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Tribes, and Native Hawaiian Organizations.

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The updated regulations will streamline implementation
and strengthen the role of Indigenous communities

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in the repatriation process.

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Interior this week also announced the conclusion
of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations,

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a decade-long effort to consolidate and return
land to Tribal ownership.

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Over the course of the program, nearly 3 million
acres in 15 states were consolidated and restored

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to Tribal trust ownership and $1.69 billion
was paid to more than 123,000 interested individuals.

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And our social media Picture of the Week -- The
Tribal Nations Summit would not have been

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a success without the work of Assistant Secretary
for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland and the incredible

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team in his office within Indian Affairs.

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Together with Indigenous leaders from across
the Department, we're all committed to fulfilling

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Interior's commitment to honor our trust and
treaty responsibilities and bolster our nation-to-nation

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relationships.

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Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter and YouTube.

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That's This Week at Interior.

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(Music fades)