The “Guide to Rights of Nature in Indian Country” is a guidebook published by the Native-led Bioneers Indigeneity Program and authored by members of the Rights of Nature in Indian Country Team, including Cara Romero, Alexis Bunten, David Greendeer, Brittany Gondolfi, Samantha Skenandore, and Danielle Greendeer. The report provides strategies and resources for Indigenous communities interested in enacting laws granting ecosystems, landscapes, and species legal rights and personhood. The guidebook presents case studies of tribes that have enacted rights-of-nature laws, including through constitutions, ordinances, and resolutions, all while examining the pros and cons of each method, and examples of how tribes have navigated these decisions. A few of the several case studies covered of Tribal nations include the 2016 Ho-Chunk Nation resolution to add the rights of nature to its constitution; the 2017 Ponca Nation resolution to grant nature the right to exist and establish rights to clean air, water, and freedom from pollution; the 2018 White Earth Ojibwe resolution acknowledging the rights of wild rice to flourish; and the 2022 Sauk Tribe v. Seattle case with salmon as the plaintiff, resulting in the city agreeing to provide fish passages in any new permit or permit renewal for hydro dams. In addition to case studies, guidance is provided for community engagement steps like surveying community perspectives, holding educational gatherings, and forming planning committees, as well as tools and templates such as sample fliers, surveys, and presentations. Outside of this guidebook, the Bioneers Rights of Nature website states, “If you are interested in bringing this movement to your community, we would be happy to brainstorm with you.”
