Colorado Plateau Intertribal Conversations

2024 Pueblo of Isleta Gathering

Historically, tribes have faced countless challenges. However in many situations, through intertribal dialogue and intertribal support, tribes have overcome these challenges. At Colorado Plateau Intertribal Conversations (CPIC) gatherings, tribal nations have opportunities to work together and successfully create intertribal directions for the benefit of their communities.

As advised by CPIC gathering members, the 2024 gathering will focus on four themes. Each discussion will establish a cultural foundation by sharing songs, prayers, and teachings. This connection will be followed by a conversation identifying existing opportunities and the ability to build intertribal partnerships. Each themed conversation will conclude with groups identifying next steps needed to create a successful framework.

Theme One: Intertribal Coalition Building

Theme one will focus on how successful intertribal coalition building can support sacred site and landscape protection efforts. Our conversation will include examples of how tribes collaborated to designate Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bears Ears National Monument, and the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

Theme Two: Intertribal Water Mapping

Theme two builds off an earlier CPIC water gathering, in which gathering members identified cultural principles relating to our human water relationships. In this conversation, we will share a regional water map that illustrates these principles and discuss how we can collectively work together on water directives.

Theme Three: Intertribal Rights of Nature

Theme three will continue the conversation from our 2018 “rights of nature” dialogue. This will include newly designated cases that are leading tribal rights of nature efforts. Together, we will discuss opportunities and obstacles that can optimize a regional rights of nature intertribal policy. Currently in the Untied States, there is not a single intertribal rights of nature policy. A CPIC rights of nature effort would be the first of its kind.

Theme Four: Intertribal Traditional Food Networks

Theme four builds on CPIC’s work developing cooperatives and CPIC’s partnerships with farming communities. This conversation will highlight collective farming assets and communication systems that work toward communal networks of traditional foods and crops to build healthier communities. We will also brainstorm ways to provide intertribal communities with access to traditional harvests for ceremonies, sustenance, and marketing.

CPIC members invite tribal communities from across the Colorado Plateau to attend this year’s fall gathering.