First Nations and Tribes Treaty: Grizzly Bear Protection

Summary

On 30 September and 2 October 2016, Native leaders signed a grizzly bear treaty spearheaded by the Piikani Nation in Alberta, titled “The Grizzly: A Treaty of Cooperation, Cultural Revitalization and Restoration” – becoming the third cross-border First Nations/Native American treaty in 150 years. With leaders from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the grizzly treaty translates to over 700 Tribal Nations. Over 170 First Nations and Tribes across the North American continent have since signed the Indigenous Treaty.

The Native leaders present at the ceremony pledged to work together to safeguard the sacred Grizzly Bear and combat the U.S. Trump administration’s move to delist the grizzly of Greater Yellowstone from the Endangered Species Act. The treaty offers innovative and sweeping reforms to management of the Yellowstone’s grizzly bears if the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) removes Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections from the Great Bear (“delisting”). The grizzly bear is considered sacred by many tribes. The treaty integrates ceremonial and traditional knowledge with science to provide an alternative to current government-sanctioned bear killing policies and proposed hunting. The declaration raises concern over the destruction of sacred sites and warns of the detrimental consequences to Indigenous youth and future generations if this should occur.

“Since time immemorial, the grizzly has been our ancestor, our relative. The grizzly is part of us and we are part of the grizzly culturally, spiritually and ceremonially. The purpose of this treaty is to honor, recognize, and reinvigorate the ancient relationships we have with the grizzly, and to restore the balance where we are the stewards and grizzly is the guardian of our lands.”

The tribes are seeking respect for their spiritual views, their rights and the laws that protect their interests, including legally required processes such as consultation by the federal agencies with tribal governments. Tribal leaders have also carried their concerns about grizzly bear management to decision-makers in Washington, DC, where they offered an alternative management plan for grizzly bear recovery featuring co-management of grizzly bears and inclusion of tribal lands in a vision of recovery.

Details of Treaty Signing: September 30, Piikani Nation, Brocket, Alberta (Invited: Piikani Traditional people, Horn Society members, Blood Nation and Coastal Nations representatives) October 2, Jackson Hole, WY (Invited: Representatives from Blackfeet; Hopi; Crazy Dog Society; Standing Rock Sioux; Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, Shoshone Bannock Tribe; Eastern Shoshone Tribe; Northern Arapaho Tribe; Gros Ventres Tribe; Crow Nation; Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes, Northern Cheyenne Nation, Colville Tribes, Pawnee Nation, Ute Mountain Tribe, Southern Ute Nation, Navajo Nation, Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, and more).

National Legislation
In October 2017, Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act (H.R. 3894 in the 115th Congress, later reintroduced as H.R. 2532/H.R. 7709) which would codify the treaty in national legislation. The bill aims to permanently protect grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. (the legislation would not apply to grizzly bears in Alaska) for their ecological and cultural value, and to guarantee that Tribes have a role in conserving and managing the species. The bill bans trophy hunting, limits grizzly mortalities, and mandates tribal involvement in management, strengthening protections beyond the Endangered Species Act.