WASHINGTON, D.C. – Working Effectively with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments, an online training course to provide users with a better understanding and greater knowledge of Native American issues, is now available.

The course was initially developed by the Interagency Indian Affairs Executive Working Group and released in January 2008, as a White House E-Government and Technologies Initiative, with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This updated program and 2022 launch is being presented by a working group consisting of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) Office of Native American Affairs; the Department of Justice’s National Indian Country Training Initiative; and the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services; and with hosting and delivery support provided by the OPM USALearning program office.

“This free, online course is a valuable tool for federal employees and any others who might work with Indian tribes,” ACHP Vice Chairman Jordan Tannenbaum said. “Government-to-government consultation is an important aspect of the unique legal relationship the federal government has with federally recognized Indian tribes. To work effectively with Indian tribes, people should be aware of not only historical and legal issues but cultural factors, as well.”

Bureau of Indian Affairs Deputy Director Jason O’Neal added his support: “The Office of Justice Services is able to provide financial support this year to ensure this online training program continues to be made available, not only for federal officials, but also tribal, state, and local public safety and justice services everywhere.”

The course is an introduction to the myriad complexities and vast cultural aspects of tribal people and their governments. With more than 570 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States, this online program is intended to provide a general overview of tribal governments and has been developed to provide federal employees and other interested parties with basic knowledge they can use to work more effectively with American Indian and Alaska Native governments.

Working Effectively with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments is available at: https://tribal.USALearning.net and is free of charge.