Washington State University is requiring greater coordination and consultation with tribal governments when conducting research, developing academic programs and engaging in other activities that could affect tribal members or their sovereignty.
Under the new Policy on Tribal Engagement, Consultation, and Consent for Joint WSU-Tribal Research Activities and Projects, the university is committed to meaningful inclusion of tribal voices and to procedures that govern those interaction and activities. It was developed over a two-year period and formally adopted Oct. 11, Indigenous Peoples Day.
“What this seeks to do is to further develop genuinely collaborative work with tribes because scientific and other forms of knowledge benefit from multiple perspectives,” said Zoe Higheagle Strong, WSU’s executive director of Tribal Relations, a faculty member in the College of Education and a special assistant to the Office of the Provost. “The perspectives of Indigenous people, who have inhabited and studied the land now called the United States since time immemorial, are particularly important as we all seek to understand more about our changing world.”
WSU faculty and staff are required to be aware of the policy and its requirements.
A training session is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 22. To register for this training contact the Office of Tribal Relations at tribal.relations@wsu.edu. Campuses, colleges and departments also can schedule training sessions by contacting the Office of Tribal Relations.
The training is being provided by the Office of Tribal Relations and the Center of Native American Research and Collaboration.
The new executive policy builds on WSU efforts to foster greater coordination and engagement with Native American tribes, including creation of the Native American Advisory Board to the university president and memorandums of understanding with Northwest tribes stretching back to 1997. It also builds on state and federal regulations requiring the recognition of tribes as sovereign governments.
Notably, it requires the university to obtain the consent of tribal governments before engaging in activities that would affect the tribe or its members in a manner that would be different from the general public. The policy includes all federally recognized tribes as well as tribes recognized by the state of Washington.
Higheagle Strong, a member of the Nez Perce tribe, said it also serves to recognize that academia has for too long ignored these important perspectives. It makes WSU one of the few public universities in the nation to require training for faculty and staff on these issues.
