With new voting maps for Montana's Legislature to be revealed soon, Native American communities are being encouraged to watch the process closely.

Billings-based Western Native Voice wants the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission to respect tribal sovereignty in the process. One of the commission's goals is to keep communities of interest, such as tribes, intact.

Ta'jin Perez, deputy director of Western Native Voice, said keeping communities whole is important, as is ensuring representation in the Legislature.

"Candidates of choice are from your community and that these communities should be able to have the opportunity to elect someone that shares their values and shares who they are and the unique history and the unique cultures of these tribal areas," Perez outlined.

The commission has scheduled nine public meetings in August and September, so Montanans can comment on the maps, including three meetings online: Aug. 30 for the western region, Sep. 9 for the central region, and Sep. 19 for the eastern region.

Perez pointed out Montana has an independent redistricting commission, and contended it has done a good job of ensuring the Legislature is proportionally representative of the population of Native Americans in the state. He noted the independent setup of the commission has many upsides, including it is not beholden to the governor or lawmakers.

"An entire Legislature, their voice is intended to be just as loud as that of the public because of this independent commission that we have," Perez explained. "Other states don't enjoy this kind of thing."

Perez added voters should be engaged in the process.

"Representation that reflects communities as they are is important, and the only way that a body like the redistricting commission can do that is through public comment," Perez concluded.

The deadline for the redistricting plan is the 10th day of the 2023 legislative session.

Tribal leaders from the eight federally recognized tribes in Utah gathered at a news conference at the state Capitol this week and called on state lawmakers to pass House Bill 40, Utah's version of the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Advocates say the bill would implement provisions to protect Native American children from unnecessary removal from their families and tribes.

Eugenia Charles-Newton, a delegate of the Navajo Nation Council, said recent research has shown that systematic bias within the child-welfare system means Native families are four times more likely to have their children removed and placed into foster care compared with their counterparts. She said she hopes state lawmakers value family unity when looking at the bill.

"Although progress has been made as a result of ICWA," she said, "out-of-home placement still occurs more frequent for Native American children than it does for the general population."

Despite advancements, Charles-Newton said, protections are still needed. Supporters of the bill have said its protections are warranted as the federally recognized Indian Child Welfare Act faces a Supreme Court challenge. Opponents of the law say it is wrongly based on race and prevents the state from considering a child's best interest.

HB 40 is sponsored by state Rep. Christine Watkins, R-Price, and state Sen. Dave Hinkins, R-Ferron, who are seeking to codify ICWA provisions into state law, meaning Utah could join a list of states passing protections for Native children.

Manuel Hart, chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, said that ss the oldest living residents of the state of Utah, HB 40 reaffirms inherent rights for tribal nations and ensures culture and traditions are passed on to younger generations.

"Lets us give them their right to exercise their inherent right to learn their language, their culture and their traditions," he said. "Let us protect them through ICWA-House Bill 40."

Watkins said the bill is making its way through the state House and added that they've run into a bit of a "hiccup" but are trying to educate committee members to garner more support for the bill so it can make its way to the state Senate.

Conditions may have improved, but Native American tribes in South Dakota say they're still reeling from the recent blizzard that left many stranded without vital resources. That's prompted renewed calls for improved aid to make it through future weather events.

The storm cut off roads to areas such as the Pine Ridge reservation, forcing some residents to burn clothing and furniture to stay warm. State Sen. Troy Heinert, D-Mission, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said the conditions there were extremely dangerous, too. He said tribes already have limited resources and can only do so much to prepare.

"Considerable investments in roads and bridges and equipment," he said, "manpower is going to be needed if we're going to continue to have storms like this."

He called on local, state and federal leaders to ensure infrastructure needs and emergency planning for tribal areas receive priority. In response to the current storm, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered expanded National Guard missions to help affected tribes, including hauling firewood from the Black Hills.

Heinert said that assistance was a huge help, but noted that residents are still having trouble getting to their livestock. Tribal governments have their own emergency preparedness plans, but often lack enough snow-removal equipment to prevent snowdrifts from swallowing up fields, as well as surrounding roads.

"What we found down here in Rosebud is we had no place to put the snow," he said. "There was so much and it was so deep, and it was so heavy."

Because first responders had trouble reaching homes, Heinert and other local leaders said, a 12-year-old boy died after suffering a medical emergency. Because of term limits, Heinert won't be back in office in the new legislative session, but he said he will continue to serve as a voice for remote tribal areas in need of additional support.

Arizona tribal communities face inequalities every day, but a recent Arizona State University graduate said she wants to shape public policy to help change it.

Ty'Lesha Yellowhair argued changing public policy which guides social services would not only ensure tribal members receive the care they need, but also help to change the public perception of Native communities, which hold lots of strength and resiliency, despite challenges.

Yellowhair is from the Navajo Nation, originally from Kayenta, Arizona, and currently works in the Office of Health Programs for the Phoenix Area Indian Health Services as a social service assistant. She explained she wants her story to serve as an inspiration to others.

"I hope that my story being shared can change the image of what people have of Native communities, like, we too, can become professionals. We, too, can deal with policy. We, too, have the power to change what's happening around us," Yellowhair outlined.

Yellowhair comes from a family of teachers, and is her family's first social worker and public administrator. She emphasized her mother, a teacher of more than 50 years, was fundamental in helping her understand people have different lived experiences.

Yellowhair added her childhood influenced the work she does today. She acknowledged she grew up in a home with two educated working parents, and knows it was not the case for everyone. Her graduate work led her to study violence in Indigenous communities, specifically against Native women and children.

Yellowhair stressed she has not met a single Native woman who was not impacted by some sort of violence in her life, and she is convinced there must be a greater focus on the issue.

"To me, that speaks volumes," Yellowhair remarked. "That is what continues to drive me, as a person who strives to be an advocate for my community."

Yellowhair believes she has the tools to fight for justice and reparations, and hopes to give back to her community and others by advocating through policy and fighting for systemic change.