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cultural sovereignty

​Our Cultural Sovereignty program has two pathways: one includes efforts that support repatriation – or the return of those things that make us who we are as Native Peoples, and includes our annual repatriation conference; and our Protect the Sacred initiative works to protect Sacred Places, our ecosystems and relationships therein.

Repatriation

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Repatriation is the return of Indigenous Ancestral remains, their burial belongings, and sacred and cultural objects back to their original Nations and lineal descendants. All of these types of tangible cultural heritage belong to Native Nations and are the national patrimony of those Nations. There is no individual or entity that has the authority to remove these items from the Nation. 

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Only the free, prior and informed consent from the Native Nation can transfer ownership of these sensitive items to someone else. Native Nations have never given up their inherent sovereignty over their cultural heritage.

Protect the Sacred

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​Another aspect of Cultural Sovereignty is our relationships with our lands and ecosystems. Our diverse origin stories place us on our homelands to be co-dependent upon the land and water and everything that lives there. We cannot be healthy and whole without taking care of the lands, waters, soils, air, animals, plants, fish, birds; if our ecosystems and our relationships with those systems are healthy, so are we. Protecting the Sacred means protecting our relationships with all that we are dependent upon for a healthy life. We protect our relationships with animals, like the Wolf who is being threatened by hunting laws even though their numbers are critically low. We protect our relationships with Sacred Places, like Medicine Wheel, Oak Flat and so many other sacred sites and landscapes. We protect our air and water and work towards ecosystem balance against climate change. 
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Please note our mailing address change:
Association on American Indian Affairs
6030 Daybreak Circle
Suite A150-217
Clarksville, MD 21029

General Information


​The Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3)
publicly supported organization.
​We do not take federal grants.

The Association is governed by an all-Native
Board of Directors and leadership team. 

The Association is an accredited charity and meets all 20 standards of the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. 
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The Association has achieved the highest rating - PLATINUM - from GuideStar, now known as Candid​

100 Years of Advocacy


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The Association is celebrating its 100th year of service in Indian Country. We have changed the course of federal Indian law and policy away from termination and genocide towards sovereignty, self-determination and healing. Help us move forward even stronger into our next 100 years!

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