Rights of Nature: The Indigenous-Led Movement for Sovereignty and a Sustainable Future

The rights of nature movement works to grant legal rights to beings other than humans. Led by Indigenous communities across the globe, the movement is grounded in commonly shared Indigenous beliefs that regard non-human beings as are our relatives and as deserving of the same legal rights as humans. Grounded in Indigenous worldviews, the rights of nature movement pursues the twin goals of creating an environmentally sustainable future and enshrining legal protections for Indigenous values and practices. This article explores how the White Earth Nation, a federally recognized Ojibwe tribal government in Minnesota became the first in the United States to take the rights of nature to court. By examining the achievements accomplished by White Earth and the challenges they still face in the context of the global rights of nature movement, we find that while United States federal and state courts may not yet recognize the rights of nature, strategic partnerships with communities in the global south and with local U.S. governments may provide the best avenue for future success.