Rapua researchers Amohia Boulton, Utiku Potaka, and Luke Enoka attended the US Indigenous Leaders Symposium at Parliament in Te Whanganui-a-Tara on Tuesday 29th October 2024. Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa, and Rangitāne ki Manawatū hosted the event, bringing together Indigenous leaders to share insights.
Kura Moeahu opened the symposium with a mihi whakatau, welcoming manuhiri tūārangi Kitcki Carroll (Executive Director, United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.), Chief Kirk Francis (Penobscot Tribe, Maine), Liz Malerba (Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund), and Geoff Strommer (Partner, Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker LLP).
The symposium created space for our Indigenous whanaunga and advocates to share their journey towards kotahitanga in reclaiming mana motuhake over their governance systems.
Kitcki's kōrero centred on honesty and reflection, beginning with the proposition that “the protection of our culture is a fundamental right”. He highlighted how over five hundred domestic sovereign nations co-exist with the US, demonstrating a successful, though imperfect, model of Indigenous-state relationships. His approach to advocating for Indian rights is straightforward, focusing on acknowledging history and truth while asking the colonial government: “Now you’re aware, what will you do?”. His framework centred on “forgiveness” as a crucial pathway in the journey toward reconciliation.
He challenged conventional democracy's ability to achieve equity and spoke about the tribe's responsibility to learn from mistakes to improve self-governance. Kitcki stressed examining oppressive behaviours, including the choice of language and words used when speaking with government representatives. For example, Kitcki encourages the use of the term “tribal citizens” over that of “tribal members”, noting Indigenous peoples are not members of a club, rather they are sovereign beings in their own lands. He urged dismantling capitalistic systems rather than mastering them, noting how tribes sometimes unknowingly perpetuate colonial practices that oppress their people. Kitcki’s thinking can be found in the following essay, which reminds us to “unapologetically lead with our Indigenous truths” never forgetting the journey that has brought us to this place and time. You can find out more here.
Chief Kirk Francis shared two decades of insights from leading the Penobscot Nation, where they exercise mana motuhake over health care, education, housing, and courts. He spoke about the diversity of voices within nations, highlighting his own tribe’s Youth Council as a model for empowering emerging leaders. While tribes face internal conflicts, they unite when addressing broader issues with the U.S. government, particularly in ensuring constitutional responsibilities are met.
Liz Malerba and Geoff Strommer presented advocacy and legal perspectives, highlighting the role international advocacy has to play in advancing domestic issues. They shared that effective advocacy requires stepping beyond comfort zones to be bold and visionary. Geoff cited the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 1975, which provides the conditions under which tribes can choose to manage programmes through government contracts, thus shaping services to meet their community's needs. Drawing from their experience, they stressed that transformational change requires patience and persistence. The success of tribal self-governance systems demonstrates how sustained advocacy can lead to meaningful reforms in Indigenous-state relationships.
To conclude, Callum Katene (Ngāti Toa) offered valuable comparisons between the U.S. and Aotearoa contexts. Key differences he observed included a colonisation period which began much earlier in Indian nations when compared with Aotearoa; the significant proportion of Indigenous peoples living on reservations; and stronger constitutional protections for Indigenous rights in the U.S. Despite these distinctions, important similarities emerged such as our relationships with te taiao; ongoing journeys toward truth-telling and reconciliation; and a commitment to an intergenerational vision. These shared values provide a foundation for continued dialogue and mutual learning between Indigenous peoples globally.
The symposium raised pātai about whānau engagement, self-governance frameworks, and pathways toward constitutional transformation in Aotearoa. The Rapua team will apply these insights to develop the Rūnanga's self-governance model, contributing to the collective kūmete of knowledge as we share findings with iwi Māori and international Indigenous communities. This knowledge exchange strengthens the Indigenous movement toward mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga to govern our communities.
