Strategic Collaboration with the National Park Service Advances Native Sovereignty

On December 16, 2021, US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland shook hands with the newly sworn-in director of the National Park Service (NPS) Charles “Chuck” Sams III. At first glance, the promotional photo of Haaland and Sams on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial appears to be a swearing in like any other.1 Of course, as many commentators emphasized at the time, this ceremony also marked a notable historical moment—when the first Native person to head the Department of the Interior officially welcomed the first Native person to head the NPS. Early in her tenure as interior secretary, Haaland had already made significant steps—advocating for tribal land protections, boarding school investigations, and renaming derogatory place names.2 Many have wondered what precedent the appointment of Haaland and Sams may set for how the federal government engages with Native peoples and tribal nations across the United States, and how their leadership could establish new cultural norms for recognizing Native sovereignty more broadly.