Each year, on August 9th, we mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It’s an occasion to not just celebrate the different cultures of the world’s indigenous populations, but also to raise awareness of the innumerable harms committed, promises broken, and ongoing challenges to indigenous self-determination.
Since 1994, when the United Nations first denoted an international day for indigenous peoples, Native Americans have faced a series of court decisions restricting Tribal jurisdiction and expanding federal and state regulatory authority over indigenous territory. This continues a centuries-long, shameful legal, economic, territorial, and bodily subjugation of indigenous people in America, which is vital context to understanding why Native communities have persistently lower socioeconomic metrics than other ethnic groups in the country. The governing systems in which Tribes are forced to operate now are the same ones that facilitated their genocide over the past centuries, dating back to the original landing of Christopher Columbus in 1492, a day that is still marked for celebration in the United States.
At the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC), we’re honored to have the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) as a member. NICOA is dedicated to the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native elders, with a mission to advocate for improved comprehensive health, social services, and economic well-being for Tribal communities. NICOA hosts a biennial conference, which the DEC was thrilled to present at in 2025, that provides an invaluable opportunity to learn and collaborate on pressing Tribal issues.
At the 2025 Conference, a clear ongoing and core issue for Tribes in the United States is sovereignty, which refers to the AI/AN (American Indian and Alaskan Natives) authority to govern themselves. This right to self-determination is at the center of Tribal governance and systems, and is reiterated in the treaties, judicial decisions, and statements defining the government-to-government relationship between Tribes and the U.S. federal government. Throughout the conference, elders, presenters, and community leaders reminded us that recognizing and respecting Tribal sovereignty is essential to supporting Tribal elders’ ability to age with dignity. When it comes to federal programs, this involves meaningful consultation with Tribes; ensuring adequate funding is directed at Tribal communities; and bolstering Tribes’ authority to administer, operate, and govern their own health, economic, and social programs in ways that meet the needs of the community.
The complex web of Tribal, state, and federal programs that can support Tribal elders, ranging from home- and community-based long-term care services and caregiver supports to Alzheimer’s and dementia care, is often challenging for Tribal elders to access. A multitude of barriers, including geographical distance, digital access, and lack of cultural competency, often ensure the system is frustrating or even impossible to navigate. While the need to increase availability of services is an evergreen issue, policymakers and advocates must also work to eliminate barriers for Tribal elders and their families in accessing services.
There have also been new, unacceptable challenges during the second Trump administration dealing with immigration enforcement. During the initial wave of aggressive immigration enforcement actions in 2025, reports emerged across the United States of indigenous Americans being mistakenly detained or arrested by immigration enforcement. This has ranged from Minnesota, to Arizona and New Mexico, to Washington state. Potential restrictions to immigration enforcement remain a point of intense debate in Washington D.C. In those discussions, solutions must be included that prevent Tribal individuals, whose fear and trauma regarding the federal government runs deep, from being detained and inappropriately questioned in these manners. As the Trump administration promises continued immigration enforcement throughout the rest of his second term, this is an unfortunate issue that Tribal communities must continue to manage.
Looking forward, Tribes will be forced to meet pressing needs for health services while dealing with a federal government increasingly funded on a piecemeal basis, often month by month. For advocates in Washington D.C., the goal will be clear: Native communities, like all others in the country, need strong and consistent funding to meet the varied needs of Tribes. But that comes with an important caveat: any programs and funding intended for Tribal communities must keep indigenous authority front and center. Otherwise, we risk simply continuing a trend of undermining indigenous communities, eschewing local partnership and knowledge for uninformed edicts.