In November 2018 history was made in the United States when two Native American progressive Democrat women - Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo people from New Mexico, and Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation from Kansas - won seats in the House of Representatives, marking a moment of political awakening in the darkness of the Trump era.
More hope to see the light at the end of the Trump tunnel arrived when the 2020 election results were counted and incumbent Democrat Deb Haaland was elected to serve her second term in Congress representing the First District.
It looks that Haaland is set to make history again since yesterday it was announced that president-elect Joe Biden chose her as Interior Secretary. In a tweet on Thursday evening, Haaland stated: "A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior. Growing up in my mother's Pueblo household made me fierce. I'll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land. I am honored and ready to serve."
In November a coalition of Indigenous environmental organizations led by the Indigenous Environmental Network had also sent a letter to the Biden-Harris transition team asking the President-elect to nominate Congresswoman Haaland as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
Biden's choice is extremely important: while Native Americans were made citizens of the United States in 1924, in some states they were given the right to vote only in 1948.
In the meantime, after the colonisation, Native American women went from being central figures and decision-makers in their tribal nations to victims of sexual and physical assault at the hands of white men.
Traditional gender balance in the tribal nations was shaken, but in the last two years we saw some steps towards restoring it: all the Native American women running in elections, such as Ruth Buffalo who won a seat in North Dakota's House of Representatives in 2018, show there is definitely a movement for Native American women to reclaim their roles, almost reconnecting with an ancestral strength and power.
Haaland embodies a will to make indigenous women visible once again in power places and the possibility of representing through them all those people that history tried to erase.
At the midterm elections Deb Haaland offered a choice for working-class people, people of color, and women as a culturally grounded leader. A 35th-generation New Mexican, from Chaco Canyon, she first decided to run for election to change things for disadvantaged people in society who are not represented by politicians in office. Politicians in power who come from privileged or wealthy backgrounds do not know indeed what kind of struggles ordinary people go through on an everyday basis as they have never lived them first-hand.
As a young woman Haaland worked at a bakery; a single mom, she worked while studying at the University of New Mexico School of Law. When in need, she had to apply for food stamps; when her application was rejected she started thinking about other people who were in her same condition and about what she may have done for them.
Haaland considers food, housing, and health care for what they should be – rights and not privileges. She is also passionate about environmental themes: climate change is having an impact on New Mexico, where droughts are becoming the norm, besides places considered as sacred by Native Americans are being threatened by oil drilling. Haaland opposes all new fossil fuel infrastructure and supports renewable energy.
After she was elected, Haaland served on committees dedicated to protecting public lands and Native peoples (one of her priority during the pandemic has been addressing COVID-19 infections among Native communities). She serves as vice chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources and chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, and is also a member of the Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States. The Department of Interior is made up of nine bureaus and small offices, from the Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, and National Park Service to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, departments that impact Native Americans. The department is also responsible for overseeing Indigenous land held in trust by the federal government, defending tribal sovereignty, and running the Indian Health Service. So Haaland seems to be the perfect choice.
As a congresswoman, Haaland has sponsored and co-led bills addressing climate change and another key issue, the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (Not Invisible Act, 2019; Savanna's Act, 2019-2020). The issues tackled by these bills seem different but they aren't: living in balance and respect with Mother Earth, a feminine life source, is indeed a key aspect of Native American culture.
A strong voice, Deb Haaland seems to an excellent choice as Interior Secretary, her nomination is an honour, a duty and a responsibility as she is seen as a role models by her community. Last but not least, it will be interesting to follow her style choices (and we may even learn from them how to avoid appropriating in fashion from Native American culture): at the swearing-in ceremony in 2019 she donned a traditional Pueblo dress (a manta or cotton knee-length dress fastened at the right shoulder with a narrow woven belt wrapped around the waist with a cloth blouse underneath it).
She often wears beautiful Native American jewelry with turquoise, a sacred gemstone for Native Americans. The designs she favours are usually made by local artisans like the "V-O-T-E" necklace inspired by Michelle Obama's (View this photo) that she got from Jewelry Store, Virtual Indian Market and Non Profit Artisan Co-Op Turquoise Skies, based in Albuquerque, and that was made by a Laguna Pueblo artist.
Change in American politics may run on Kamala Harris' sneakers, but it's invigorating to know that it will bring with it the colours, cultures, passions and, why not, the accessories, of many diverse candidates.
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