In December 2023, the Metropolitan Council hired its first full-time tribal liaison and Native relations coordinator. Allison Waukau, Menominee/Navajo, has been on the job for almost eight months now. We talked with her in July about her work.
Why is it important for the Met Council to have a tribal liaison?
Early in his first term, Governor Walz signed an executive order that affirmed the government-to-government relationship between the State of Minnesota and the 11 tribes in the state. It committed state agencies to build relationships with tribes built on respect, understanding, and sovereignty. Tribal nations have a unique status. We governed ourselves before settlers came and we continue to do so. The federal government, through its treaty-making, recognized the tribes’ right to exist, self-govern, and possess self-determination.
The Met Council has to honor that sovereignty. It’s like talking to another state. If our wastewater operations were to impact Iowa, for example, we would need to listen to and talk with them.
The Native relations part of my job recognizes that here in the metro region we have a very large urban Native community. The Met Council’s authority and operations intersect with Native communities in many ways, through land use planning, water, housing, transit, and wastewater treatment. Native people have been invisible in public policy for so long. We need to listen to understand Indigenous needs and perspectives.
It's all about building relationships and partnerships. We do ourselves a disservice if we are not proactive in these relationships – it ends up being more work for the Met Council in the long run if we aren’t.
What’s a typical week like for you?
My week is really filled with meetings – with community organizations, going to open houses and public meetings, and meetings with the tribal liaisons from state agencies. I also make presentations to groups, and report to the governor on our public engagement.
It’s been really useful for me to be in community meetings and interacting with tribal staff and community organizations. I listen and bring back what I hear to the Met Council. For example, with transit, I can tell stories about things that have happened, what is needed, what I heard in a public safety meeting, with ideas about how we can work on this and lend our support. Staff are very receptive. But we need to get ahead of the game. This should be embedded in our thought processes, policies, and work plans.
How is the Met Council perceived by the tribes?
The tribes have had a variety of experiences with us. Many people know Charlie Zelle, the Met Council chair, from his time at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and he is a strong ally and understands the importance of these relationships. He has relationships with some tribal members outside of his work.
Our staff have made some mistakes, for example, around construction projects. But it is actually a good thing when a tribe voices its displeasure to you. It’s a good sign that they are communicating with you. They trust you to make it right. The thing you don’t want is for tribes to go silent. It’s better that the tribe talks to you and trusts you with what they are saying. And now we just have to prove them right. We are going to listen.
Are there any initiatives you are particularly excited about?
I am really excited about the work our parks staff is doing, working with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation and Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, to create a cultural landscape designation within our regional parks. For example, Indian Mounds Park could become a designated cultural landscape. It would provide areas for Native communities to hold ceremonies and show that a park can be nonrecreational. Emmett Mullin, our parks manager, and Lisa Barajas, director of Community Development, have really been listening. It gives me hope that when my son comes of age there will be a space for him to have a ceremony. Things like this will help revitalize our traditions.
Earlier this year, the Met Council established an American Indian Advisory Council as part of the creation of Imagine 2050, the region’s development guide. We asked that group to help us co-create a land acknowledgment and it quickly transformed into a land, water, and people acknowledgement and commitments to act on by the Met Council.
Staff leaders from our water, parks, transportation, and housing departments have all come to talk about their work and hear the perspectives of advisory council members. Some of the conversations have been hard, but our staff are really taking what they have heard to heart. The advisory council will present the recommendations to the Met Council on September 4.
Chair Zelle and Regional Administrator Ryan O’Connor recently came to an advisory council meeting to hear the draft recommendations. They were extremely supportive and already thinking about how we will implement the recommendations.
This gives me a lot of hope. For me personally, it feels like my two worlds are coming together – my people and the work I am doing here at the Met Council. My role is to think about my community and our future generations. I am excited that because of our work, our children and grandchildren will be able to see themselves in the land that has always been theirs.