Native Lands, National Trails


Native Lands, National Trails Map

The Native Lands, National Trails Map is an interactive GIS map hosted through ESRI that serves as an educational tool and resource for understanding and navigating Ancestral Indigenous territories throughout the National Trails System (NTS). The NTS consists of 30 congressionally designated trails that traverse what is now the United States of America. 

Many of these trails were used previously by Indigenous cultures that continue to have ancestral ties to the current landscapes. The intent of this map is to provide a broad perspective of just how many communities the NTS crosses and to start crucial conversations about the impacts, engagement, and inclusivity of their stories.

Visit the Map

 


Native Lands, National Trails Resource Guide

This resource guide is to be utilized as an educational tool and hub for resources that trail organizations, Indigenous communities, organizations, and nations have created and used.

The goal of NLNT is to assist federal agencies and non-profit trail organizations in advancing National Trails System knowledge of Indigenous ancestral lands and increase partnerships and collaborations with Indigenous communities along National Scenic and National Historic Trails.

View the Resource Guide

 


Indigenous Engagement & Tribal Consultation Webinar Series

We encourage you to watch the following videos as part of your engagement with the Native Lands, National Trails (NLNT) map and resource guide. These recorded webinars provide foundational information about engagement with Indigenous communities on trails while showcasing the features of NLNT.

Introduction to the Native Lands, National Trails Project

During this presentation, you will learn about how to use the map and utilize resources to understand where Indigenous communities and ancestral lands are located and who you may need to engage when beginning projects on your trails or public lands. This webinar was originally titled, “Engagement & Education with the Indigenous Mapping & Research Project.”

Watch the Webinar

 

Foundations of Federal Indian Law

In this training, you will hear about the history of Tribal – U.S. Government relations, Federal Indian Law, recent trends in federal Indian Affairs, and Tribal perspectives regarding protection and access to Sacred Places. You’ll walk away with an understanding of the main components of Federal Indian Law, how your work relates to it, and what your responsibilities are in Tribal engagement.

Watch the Webinar


Foundations of Tribal Consultation and Visions of Its Future

In this training, you will hear from Susan Johnson (Tribal Project Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service) and Eric Chiasson (Regional Tribal Liaison, Tribal and Cultural Affairs-Region 1, National Park Service) about the history of Tribal consultation, the basics of the process, the cultural injustice inherent in the process, and what it could look like in the future.

Watch the Webinar

Tribal Engagement: Distinguishing Consultation from Coordination

Learn about the differences between Tribal consultation, coordination, and engagement, and the responsibilities of different entities to engage in each practice. Hear about successes, failures, and best practices for engaging Indigenous communities from an Indigenous perspective.

Watch the Webinar


Additional Resources

Native Lands National Trails Project: How to Add Native Land Digital Data to your own Maps 

Learn how to integrate Native Lands National Trails Data Into Your Own Maps. This webinar was co-hosted with the Indigenous Mapping Collective. Webinar partners include Native-Land Digital, Mapbox, and Esri.

Watch the Webinar

 


Project Acknowledgment

Trails are Indigenous.
Trails flow and live through the territories and are guides for many histories, people, animals, and entities living and nonliving.
We acknowledge that this project aims to strengthen relations between National Trails and Indigenous communities throughout Indigenous Territories and what is now considered the United States.

More on the Native Lands, National Trails Project


Project Partners

The Native Lands, National Trails project was possible through partnerships and support from several organizations and governmental agencies: Partnership for the National Trails System, Native Lands Digital, Bureau of Land Management, and Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps.