BIA - Land-Related Trust Services, Navajo Nation

BIA Policies Supporting Tribal Vision

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

In November 2021, indigenous traditional ecological knowledge (TEK or ITEK) was recognized by the federal government as “one of the many important bodies of knowledge that contributes to the scientific, technical, social and economic advancements of the United States and to our collective understanding of the natural world.” See Presidential Memorandum (Nov 15, 2021). ITEK is a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, practices, and beliefs that promote environmental sustainability and the responsible stewardship of natural resources through relationships between humans and environmental systems, applied to phenomena across biological, physical, cultural and spiritual systems. The Federal Government is developing a guidance for the BIA on how to partner with Tribal Nations and Native organizations regarding the application of ITEK.

Integrated Resource Management (IRMP)

In 1988, the BIA Integrated Resource Management Planning (IRMP) Initiative changed land use emphasis from single use to a whole system approach — comprehensive, integrated planning that encompasses natural, cultural, economic and social resources for each reservation according to tribal community vision for the future. The hope was that each tribe would assert its own cultural imperatives and establish unique flexible, self-renewing, and multi-use management approaches. However, tribes including the Navajo Nation have not been able to create unique IRMP all these decades due to lack of culturally-knowledgeable technical assistance and funding. Recently, the Navajo Nation has relied on BIA consultants and services for assistance to create subject-matter IRMPS rather than whole vision IRMPs. However, BIA consultants will not be able to establish the Navajo Nation’s tribal vision. Without this tribal vision, any IRMP will be missing its basic element.

It is well-accepted among stakeholders that tribal land “is generally not managed according to tribal priorities and does not reflect that Indian lands are intended for the use and benefit of Indian tribes and their members” but are instead “being managed according to priorities generally associated with (federal) public lands.”  U.S. GAO Report (2015), p. 25. The tribal vision must be established by the Navajo Nation themselves, through community engagement that works.

As set forth in the BIA IRMP Guidelines, an IRMP is a leadership document which contains a Tribe’s vision for the reservation. Having an IRMP in place allows for possible waivers of federal laws, and supports the following elements of leadership, many elements which can only be fulfilled with engagement of an empowered community:

• A long range vision of how the tribe wishes its resources (including natural, cultural, economic and social resources) to look in 50-100 years;
• A plan of action to achieve that vision;
• Identification of bridges between its organizational units as well as between the tribe and outside organizations;
• Encourages tribal members and managers to acquire effective knowledge needed for coordinated decision making;
• Encourages the establishment of trust between tribal members and their government.

The federal policy for IRMPs in Indian Country has existed almost as long as the federal policy for Indian self-determination and allows for a great deal of foundational tribal envisioning of the shape of its future communities, including directly involving communities in resource management, and setting forth cultural practices. See  Guidelines for IRMP in Indian Country 2001. With a true envisioning IRMP in place, waivers of conflicting federal regulations can be sought.

Special Note: A draft Bennett Freeze Area IRMP, developed by the BIA, was approved by the RDC of the Navajo Nation Council in 2020 pending completion of an environmental assessment. The Bennett Freeze IRMP focuses on a single element of IRMPs, namely, Identification of bridges between its organizational units and the BIA. 95% of the developed IRMP is an inventory of existing federal and tribal resource management laws, programs, projects and findings, grouped under specific natural resources and historical cultural sites.  The document contains no discussion of cultural land use familial and community patterns and practice, nor any capabilities of tribal members in performing local stewardship functions. It contains no tribal vision. Diné Fundamental Law, Diné bi beenahaz’áanii is mentioned, but not used. Information on the current status of the IRMP is here.