Elevating Native Voices of Justice Across Indian Country
First Nations Development Institute commissioned multi-faceted research across Indian Country to explore definitions of Native justice grounded in Sovereignty, land, cultural identity, language, and values. MG supported the synthesis and writing of the national report and facilitated a convening of Native leaders to make meaning of the findings and surface actionable recommendations.
What was the challenge?
Native justice is largely absent or misrepresented in national conversations, often reduced to Western legal frames or short-term “Band-Aid” solutions. First Nations sought to counter invisibility and misinformation by bringing multi-faceted Native-led research together in an accessible synthesis that would center Native voices, lived experience, and cultural context.
What did we do?
First Nations led a multi-year initiative to define Native justice on Native terms through research, essays, interviews, convenings, commissioned art, and national polling data. MG supported First Nations by bringing this expansive body of work together into a national report through qualitative synthesis, narrative framing, content organization, and plain-language writing that centered Sovereignty, Native voices, traditional knowledge, values, and lived experience. MG also facilitated a national convening of Native leaders to discuss takeaways from the research, make meaning of the findings, and surface recommendations for multiple fields, including philanthropy, land stewardship, and economic development. First Nations’ innovative cross-sector approach contributes to a broader Native-led movement to elevate justice and narrative, building on earlier efforts such as Reclaiming Native Truth.
What happened?
The initiative resulted in Elevating Native Voices of Justice Across Indian Country — a report that brings forward Native justice as holistic, relational, and grounded in Sovereignty, land, cultural identity, and values of balance, reciprocity, healing, and responsibility. The work clarifies distinctions between Native justice and Western justice systems and expands visibility for traditional knowledge — the know-how, skills, and practices that are developed, sustained, and passed on from generation to generation within Native communities. It counters invisibility and misrepresentation across data, systems, and media, and highlights the cultural richness and solutions expressed through story, art, music, and film. The work also offers actionable recommendations for philanthropy, policymakers, and practitioners.
From our client:
“This work was of and by Indian Country – multiple formats, multiple sources, and just as importantly multiple egos – and so the importance of familiarity, the importance of understanding relationships, and most importantly, the importance of respect – these were all without compromise and there are few folks who can bring all these things to the party. Metropolitan Group is one of the very few. We knew this from an earlier and much successful project. And they did not disappoint in our work on Native Justice. We would engage them again in a heartbeat for another complex project.”
– MICHAEL ROBERTS (Tlingit)
President and CEO, First Nations Development Institute
