Exploring the Many Pathways to Indigenous Land Guardianship

Quinn Smith (T’23) completed his Hart Fellowship with Nia Tero in Seattle, Washington as well as the Indigenous Leadership Initiative (ILI). Both organizations advance Indigenous land guardianship, which is the idea that Indigenous Peoples should maintain the ability to protect and steward the lands and waters they have known since time immemorial. Nia Tero promotes Indigenous land guardianship globally while ILI assists First Nations in what is now known as Canada. ILI has made historic strides in securing federal funding for First Nations and helping them to reclaim and exercise their sovereignty.

During the Fellowship, Quinn assisted his colleagues in establishing the first ever national network for Indigenous land guardianship in the United States. Quinn and his team organized multiple virtual meetings of Indigenous leaders from across what is now known as the United States, Canada, and Australia, culminating in a large in-person gathering at the Lummi Nation in April of 2024. In addition to providing strategic support, Quinn generated research documents and created numerous communications pieces. He also conducted a Duke IRB-approved research project on the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, interviewing key members of ILI’s staff to identify key learnings that could support the establishment of a national network in the U.S.

Quinn was hired by ILI after his Hart Fellowship year. His first project is to conduct a landscape analysis on all ongoing Indigenous-led conservation efforts in the United States.