Indigenous communities worldwide are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, both bearing the brunt of the early effects and by necessity leading the way on adaptation. Just in the past few years, numerous communities have had to manage retreat from their former homes, such as the North Slope of Alaska and the Quinault in Washington. What lessons have emerged from how Indigenous leaders have managed the early years of the climate crisis? How might Kennedy School students and affiliates learn from the strategies being implemented by tribal governments and Indigenous leadership?

Carina Miller - Columbia River Gorge Commissioner
Carina Miller is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. She has a Bachelor of Science in Ethnic Studies from the University of Oregon. She served as the Wasco Tribal representative on the 27th Tribal Council of Warm Springs from 2016-2019. She is also a co-chair of the energy committee for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the chair of the Native American caucus for the Democratic party of Oregon. She has served on the Columbia River Gorge Commission since 2019.

Donald Sampson - Executive Director, Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indians
Don Sampson newly returned to the role of Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indians, which he also held from 2003-2010. He oversees all tribal government and business operations with over 1800 employees. Prior to that, he was the Climate Change Project Director for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, a consortium of 57-tribes in the Pacific Northwest. In 2015 he was one of 15 Indigenous representatives from North America at the Paris Climate Accords (COP21).

Nicholas Chischilly - Wildlife Technician, Climate Change Program, Navajo Nation
Nicholas Chischilly is Diné (Navajo), and he is The-Water-Flows-Together Clan, born for Red-Running-Into-the-Water-People Clan. Chischilly is a Wildlife Technician for the Navajo Nation Climate Change Program, working directly with Navajo communities to help assist them in adapting to climate change.

Keith Howard, Wildlife Technician, Climate Change Program, Navajo Nation
Keith Howard is a member of the Navajo Nation. He represents his mother's clan: Red Running into the Water People and was born for his father's clan: The Water Flows Together People. Growing up on the Navajo reservation, Howard lived a simple life and cared for the family's livestock. Later, He acquired his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Natural Resources from Navajo Technical University. Howard is currently employed as a Wildlife Technician in the Climate Change Program with the Navajo Nation Department Fish and Wildlife.

Joel Chastain - MPA Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
Joel Chastain is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, with Laguna Pueblo and Navajo Nation heritage. Joel has devoted his career to developing his experience and knowledge in Native American affairs. Over the last decade, Joel has held various positions in the governmental and commercial divisions of the Chickasaw Nation, and most recently worked with appointed leadership on strategic development initiatives. Joel left the Chickasaw Nation for one year to complete a fellowship at the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., advocating for tribal Nations through analysis and support of public policy that advances tribal interests.

Healing Turtle Island: Indigenous Leadership Through the Climate Crisis

Discussions of innovative approaches to the climate crisis held at Harvard Kennedy School rarely feature Indigenous approaches, and even fewer center Indigenous perspectives as the primary goal.

To that end, the Native and Indigenous Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School, in partnership with the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative, held a day-long hybrid convening to highlight Indigenous leadership in addressing the climate crisis. The event brings together Indigenous leaders from across the globe to discuss the following:

How has the climate crisis uniquely affected Indigenous communities?

In what ways does an "Indigenous" approach to the climate crisis differ from non-Indigenous approaches? How does this differ across regions and communities?

What are examples of impactful activism by Indigenous writers, activists, government leaders, and youth? What can students and the broader HKS community learn from these examples?

Perspectives from the Arctic will be specifically featured in acknowledgment of the fact that Arctic Indigenous voices are often marginalized in broader climate conversations despite the crisis' disproportionate impact on Arctic communities. The event highlights Arctic communities' extensive resistance knowledge and long-running efforts spanning decades.

For more information: https://www.belfercenter.org/event/he...