Today, Native people serve in the United States military at five times the national average yet are often overlooked and underrepresented in policy-making decisions affecting veterans as a whole. In this episode of The Sentinel, we mark the 30th anniversary of the NCAI Veterans Committee, established in 1995 to advocate for and address the unique needs of Native veterans.

We are honored to be joined by the three current Co-Chairs of the NCAI Veterans Committee and NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr. Together, they reflect on their military service, share their experiences as Native veterans, and discuss the Committee’s vision and priorities for the future.

In this episode of The Sentinel, we explore the Land Back movement, an effort led by American Indian and Alaska Native people to restore traditional homelands to Tribal Nations. The goal of this movement is not only to reclaim property stolen from Native communities, but to restore stewardship and sovereignty over ancestral lands. While we share recent successes and highlights, we also examine the deep historical roots and ongoing struggles of this movement.

Raphael Wahwassuck, Tribal Council Member and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, joins us to discuss the recent return of 1,500 acres of land, remedying two centuries of injustice and dispossession for his tribe. He shares the long history of this issue for his tribe and how other Tribal Nations can learn from the Prairie Band Potawatomi’s advocacy and experience on this issue.

In this episode of The Sentinel, we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act. Enacted on January 4, 1975, this pivotal piece of legislation marked a major shift in federal Indian policy. It authorized Tribal Nations to enter into contracts with the federal government for the provision of essential services. The goal was to shift control and autonomy of those services from Washington, D.C., to the tribes themselves. Join us as we explore the history and ongoing significance of this legislation to Indian Country.