WHAT WE’RE FOR.
It’s a crazy time to be alive. In a country reckoning with the aftermath of Standing Rock and renewed mainstream Indigenous consciousness, a world that’s still reeling from three years of a pandemic, and a planet on fire, the Indigenous perspective is needed now more than ever.
DEFENDING TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY.
“Tribal Nation” isn’t just a buzzword. It indicates what Indigenous communities across the United States actually are: sovereign nations — with their own laws, customs, and jurisdiction.
Unfortunately, many U.S. bodies either don’t know or ignore this. We help Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos across New Mexico exercise their rights and utilize the United States’ vital trust responsibility.
A JUST TRANSITION.
Native people have endured centuries of extractive industry that destroyed the health of our people, air, land, and water. With under a decade to turn our energy and economic systems around before really facing the sixth mass extinction, we know the stakes.
We work with Tribal Nations to employ renewable energy on their lands, and inform the public about attempts at greenwashing we just don’t have time for. With an ambitious target of New Mexico reaching a 100% renewable economy by 2045, we’re prepared for the challenge.
AN EQUITABLE EDUCATION.
The landmark Yazzie v. Martinez ruling that New Mexico must do better by its students of color and students with disabilities has implications for the entire educational system — currently ranked 47th in the country.
We believe that an adequate, wide-ranging education is the key to a strong, self-sufficient Indigenous population. That’s why we’re working, in partnership with Tribal Nations, to take advantage of the state’s mandate to improve education for Indigenous students — and to bolster education on the reservation.
DEFENDING CIVIL LIBERTIES.
We’ve come a long way since Trujillo v. Garley 75 years ago, wherein a New Mexico court ruled Indigenous people have the right to vote. Unfortunately, tactics de jure and de facto still exist to suppress our voices.
Naeva was founded with the task of mobilizing Indigenous people and allies to engage in the political system to protect our ways of being. Protest, resistance, and other tactics are necessary tools to protect our communities, and so is the vote.
Ready to join us?