Northern Tribal Border Summit to be held in Prior Lake

Prior Lake American

First Nations communities and Native American tribal leaders will be able to meet and discuss issues regarding the U.S. and Canadian border during a “Northern Tribal Border Summit.”

The summit, which will be held Aug. 20-21 at Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel in Shakopee, will tackle topics such as border crossing for tribal citizens, northern border policies, tribal cards and improving border access and forming a tribal border alliance, according to a news release.

The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe announced the summit.

“We look forward to discussing how best to improve border crossing for Native peoples during the Trump and Trudeau administrations, particularly those tribes, like ours, that have our people located on both sides of the border,” Idaho Kootenai Tribe Chairman Gary Aitken, Jr. said in the news release.

The summit will include a keynote luncheon with House of Representatives Northern Border Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Kevin Cramer and presentations from U.S. Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and the Assembly of First Nations.

“As American and Canadian border policies evolve to address national security and business concerns, Native nations along the border must maximize the opportunity to shape those policies to better respect tribal citizenship and sovereignty,” former Seneca Nation President and Summit coordinator Robert Odawi Porter said.

Participation in the summit is restricted to officials and staff of federally recognized tribes near or on the northern border and to attorneys or advocates, according to the release.

A block of rooms is available at the Mystic Lake Hotel under “Northern Tribal Border Summit.” To reserve, call 800-262-7799. There is no fee to attend, but attendees pay for their own travel and hotel.

On Aug. 20, a reception will be held during the evening. The summit will begin the next day.​