ANA Success Stories

Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS)

Ho-Chunk Healthy Village

Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation

Ho-Chunk Community Development Corp. of Winnebago, Nebraska received a two-year SEDS grant for $203,635 from the ANA. The funds have been used to develop the Ho-Chunk Healthy Village, a 40-acre site designed to promote a healthy environment by blending three unique development concepts: culture, new urbanism, and active living.

Ho-Chunk Inc., which is the business arm of the Winnebago Tribe, will construct and incorporate walking paths, diverse retail and office space, tribal offices, a civic center for community gatherings, a wellness center, and multi-family homes into its Ho-Chunk Village. This project will create new jobs and economic opportunity for Tribal and community members. The Ho-Chunk Healthy Village serves as a role model for future development projects.

Linking Native Youth

United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc.

The United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY), a nationwide organization of approximately 215 domestic youth councils has successfully designed and developed the "Linking Native Youth" project to better prepare members to compete in the information age with a $325,641 SEDS grant from the ANA.

"Linking Native Youth" has provided training to youth on utilizing internet based communication tools by traveling the field with a 24-computer mobile lab that is connected by a wireless network. Unity's website enhanced Native youths' ability to coordinate and carry out local community service projects and to participate in national efforts such as Unity's Celebrate Fitness and Healthy Lifestyles initiatives. "Linking Native Youth" has made it possible for Native youth from remote areas to share ideas and concerns with other indigenous youth in the United States.

Strengthening Tribal Management in Health and Services Delivery

The National Indian Health Board

The National Indian Health Board, a non-profit organization, representing Tribal Governments' health care systems and those receiving health care directly from Indian Health Service (IHS), was awarded a $225,965 SEDS grant from the ANA to support the project, "Strengthening Tribal Management in Health and Services Delivery."

This project was developed to improve the NIHB's capability to serve the needs of tribal governments in the heath care field. During the past year, the NIHB successfully hosted a number videoconferencing sessions between NIHB offices and regional health boards to discuss legislative activity affecting Indian county. The NIHB has enhanced the existing NIHB website with advanced communication tools used to promptly distribute information to all area heath boards in the country. In addition, several surveys have been conducted to provide area boards with improved training materials and curricula.

Native Language Preservation

Oneida Tekalu'tātu Language House

Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin

The Oneida Tribe received a Language Preservation grant for $125,000 from the ANA. These funds have been used to hire additional teaching staff, complete Oneida language teaching guides, finalize criteria for language certification and provide community outreach.

In 1996, the Oneida Language Revitalization Program was created in response to the declining number of tribal members that spoke Oneida as their first language. Shortly after, the Oneida Language House or Tekalu'tātu was opened as a learning center for fluent elders and language trainees to participate in training and immersion sessions.

Since its inception the Oneida Language Revitalization Program at Tekalu'tātu has successfully utilized five of the remaining 20 fluent elders to train and guide language trainees to teach the Oneida language in the Oneida Nation school system, Tribal Head Start, 5 local school districts, tribal employees, and to community members.

Tlingit Language Immersion Retreats

Sealaska Heritage Institute

The ANA has awarded a $606,948 Language Preservation grant to Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) for Native language immersion retreats in Southeast Alaska by creating an intensive Tlingit habitat for people to learn and teach the Tlingit language.

The funding will be used to increase Tlingit language fluency in students and to train aspiring Native language teachers to operate immersion programs. The three-year grant will help fund Tlingit language immersion camps customized for Native language students in Juneau, Hoonah and Sitka. The first Tlingit immersion retreat was held in summer of 2003 as part of the ongoing efforts to revitalize and perpetuate Native languages. The 2003 retreat participants hiked to a remote location in Juneau where they took an oath to speak only Tlingit for five days. Two additional, 10-day camps will be held annually in 2004 and 2005. The Juneau-Hoonah camp will be held at Glacier Bay Lodge in Glacier Bay National Park and the Sitka camp at Dog Point Fish Camp in Sitka.

Hawaiian Language Legacy Program

Alu Like, Inc.

Alu Like, Inc. of Hawaii was awarded a $125, 000 ANA Language Preservation grant for the Hawaiian Language Legacy Program to provide vital material for the teaching and enhancement of the Hawaiian Language.

The Hawaiian Language Legacy Programs major goal has been to offer Hawaiian language material to the public through print and electronic media outlets. In order to improve public accessibility Alu Like, Inc. has developed the production of "Ka Ho'oilina: Puke Pai 'Olelo Hawai'i The Legacy: Journal of Hawaiian Language Sources" with a set of two multimedia websites, four accompanying CD-ROMS, as well as the Newspapers Project which involves archival Hawaiian-language newspapers available on the web.

Environmental Regulatory Enhancement

Osage Environmental Mapping Database Project

Osage Nation of Oklahoma

The Osage Nation of Oklahoma received one-year $101,408 Environmental Regulatory Enhancement grant from the ANA in 2002 to increase an environmental presence on the Osage Reservation.

This grant has allowed the Tribe to develop and expand existing environmental and judicial codes for the Osage Environmental and Natural Resources Department within the tribes existing legal structure. In the past year the Environmental and Natural Resources Department has designed a Geographic Information System (GIS) that includes a new electronic database management system and mapping program that enables the department to track and map environmental data on the reservation. The Tribe has also formulated a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the collection of biographical field data on the 1,470,000 acre Osage Reservation.

Black Bear Management Plan

Hoopa Valley Tribe of California

The Hoopa Valley Tribe's Natural Resources Department was awarded a one-year $241,185 Environmental Regulatory Enhancement grant in 2002 to develop a comprehensive bear management plan of entire bear population on the 90,000 acre Hoopa Reservation in Northern California.

The Hoopa Valley Natural Resources Department bear management plan is based on sound science, yet is responsive to tribal members concerns of protecting developing timber resources. ANA funding has allowed the tribe to determine the severity of the human bear conflict on the reservation by conducting a public survey of local residents and fishermen. With these survey results, the Natural Resources Department has filled critical biological needs involving bear population demographics and tree damage in both urban and rural areas. Public education has also been provided to local residents and fishermen on the bear management plan in order to reduce human-bear conflicts and tree damage through sound wildlife management concepts.

Muscogee Nation Enhancement Testing and Analysis Program

Muscogee Nation of Florida

The Muscogee Nation of Florida was awarded a $132,952 Environmental Regulatory Enhancement grant to implement an Enhancement Testing and Analysis Program that has resulted in analyzing soil and water to determine the feasibility of constructing septic systems that adequately support the Muscogee tribal community.

The Enhancement Testing and Analysis Program have allowed the Tribe to gather data to assess tribal member's quality of life, and test both drinking water and lead based paints in older homes. Through this program, the Tribe has conducted hands-on environmental training for younger tribal members. Funding has also provided for the delineation and mapping of a 13-acre protective trust of 4,000-year old shell mounds.