NNI staff attended the National Congress of American Indians’ 76th Annual Convention & Marketplace, Sovereignty in Action during the week of October 20^th in Albuquerque, NM. Executive Director Joan Timeche (Hopi), Director of Business Development for the Native American Advancement Initiatives, Karen Diver (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Outreach Specialist/Senior Researcher Danielle Hiraldo (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina) and Program Coordinator, Sr. Davida Delmar (Navajo Nation/Diné) were in attendance. This was an opportunity to network with tribal leaders and professionals while sharing educational opportunities.

At our booth, we also tested patrons’ knowledge on Native Nation Building topics, mixed with trivia questions. Here’s a sample:

1. This is the ability of a people to make decisions regarding their lands, affairs, and future, free of interference by external forces:

A) Self-Determination

B) Self-Governance

C) Treaty Rights

D) Environmental Protection

2. How many Pueblos are in New Mexico?

A) 5

B) 15

C) 22

D) 19

3. This process enhances a Native nation’s own foundational capacity for effective self-governance and self-determined community and economic development.

A) Economic Development

B) Indigenous Rules of Governance

C) Sovereign rights

D) Native Nation Building

Answers: A, C, D

Image: Karen Diver, Danielle Hiraldo, and Davida Delmar