First native american cabinet secretary makes her mark


Haaland, 60, who was sworn in March 18, rose from poverty to earn a seat at the table in Washington politics. She grew up in a military family and moved often as a child. Later she became a

single mother just after earning a college degree in 1994 from the University of New Mexico. To support her daughter, Haaland started a salsa company, but she struggled financially, was

occasionally homeless, and had to rely on friends and family for support. Haaland later earned a degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, then became active in Democratic

Party politics, including serving as New Mexico's state party chair. When she was elected to Congress in 2018, she became one of the first two Native American women ever to win a seat

the U.S. House. "Secretary Haaland overcame so many obstacles to get where she is today,” says Levi Rickert, 65, editor for Native News Online, a digital publication based in Grand

Rapids, Michigan, and a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi. Haaland, he says, “is a role model for our children who may feel the odds are stacked against them.” Deb Haaland, U.S.

secretary of the interior, center, takes an oath during a ceremony with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, not pictured, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, March 18, 2021.

Bloomberg/Getty Images Many Native people also hope that because Haaland is a Pueblo woman, she will bring insight unlike any other interior secretary, and will recognize Indigenous

people's relationship with the land, which plays a significant role in tribal identity and culture. Her understanding of these issues will help her navigate questions around tribal

sovereignty — the right of Native people to govern themselves — and treaties for protecting sacred places and other lands and waters. Those efforts have already begun. On April 8, Haaland

visited Bear Ears National Monument in southern Utah, a site important to tribal cultural heritage and that Native advocates are working to protect. While she was there, Haaland met with

state and tribal leaders. "My grandkids are really excited to know that a Native woman has taken a position that could mean more protection for sacred sites, water and Unci Maka

(Grandmother Earth in Lakota),” said Mnicoujou Lakota Jean Roach, 60, of Rapid City, South Dakota.