On March 1-5, Native Nations Institute (NNI) staff attended the Reservation Economic Summit (RES 2020), hosted by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. On the third day of the event, Executive Director Joan Timeche (Hopi) and Research Director Miriam Jorgensen hosted the breakout session “Rebuilding Native Nations, Strategies for Governance and Development.” Jorgensen noted that the session was “a great opportunity to run through NNI applications of the Nation Building approach while people were excited by the rich exchange of ideas.” Participants were asked “What have you seen or heard that you want to bring home?” and “What will you do to implement these ideas once you return to your communities?” As examples were given, Jorgensen and Timeche ran them through a facilitated Nation Building decision tree to underscore the importance of nation building actions to achieving these goals.

For Senior Program Coordinator Davida Delmar (Navajo Nation/Diné) and Senior Researcher/Outreach Specialist Danielle Hiraldo (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina), the NNI booth was a perfect place to network, talk about NNI programs and materials, build partnerships, and of course have fun with Native nation trivia.

Take a minute to see what you know:

How many Native Americans live off reservations?

a) 56%

b) 78%

c) 61%

d) 29%

Which tribe went from having 2.5 acres of trust land and $550 in their bank account in the late 1970s, to having an economic impact of $467 million and supporting 3,396 jobs in 2018?

a) Salish Kootenai

b) Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

c) Citizen Potawatomi Nation

d) The Mohegan Tribe

Take the full quiz!

Images: Davida and Danielle, Joan presenting and with Martin Sensmeier