UTTC Tribal Summit: Cody Two Bears urges tribal nations to unite for sovereignty

Cody Two Bears kicked off the second day of the 28th Annual UTTC Tribal Leaders Summit with that call to action.

“We have to take this journey to understand that as tribal nations, a lot of times we can’t do this alone,” he said. “When we unite, when we engage and now when we partner and collaborate, we can do amazing things as Native people.”

Two Bears, a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, is the founder and executive director of Indigenized Energy, working with 13 Midwest tribes to plan and fund renewable energy projects. During his keynote speech, he said securing energy sovereignty is just as important as preserving Native language and culture.

Growing up on the Standing Rock Reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, where utility prices are higher than the national average, Two Bears said he knows firsthand how hard it is to keep homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and how much it costs. He said citizens living on reservations often pay more for energy than their off-reservation neighbors. For example, in Cannon Ball, utilities rates are almost double that of Bismarck — the average residential electricity rates are 15.43 cents per kilowatt-hour in Cannon Ball compared to 8.28 cents per kilowatt-hour in Bismarck

Two Bears founded Indigenized Energy to help tribes take control of their energy costs and use their energy resources.

Recently, Indigenized Energy partnered with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin to develop its energy program. Now the Menominee have clawed back ownership of 80% of utility infrastructure on the reservation, according to Two Bears, putting the tribe in the driver’s seat to negotiate utility rates.

When the Trump administration cancelled nearly $7 billion in federal grants this year, Indigenized Energy lost $136 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The nonprofit had planned to use the money to help more tribes like the Menominee ensure their energy sovereignty. But Two Bears said they will persist.

“We’re going to do it anyway. We’re going to find a way. We have always found a way, and we will continue to find ways,” he said, emphasizing the need now to lean into sovereignty.

Tribes have always come together in time of need, said Two Bears, who served on Standing Rock’s tribal council during the #NoDAPL movement. Many people in the audience were there in Cannon Ball in 2016, he said, along with more than 350 tribal nations that came together to protect the sacred Missouri River.

“We are in for a very difficult next three years,” said Two Bears. “Now is the time to unite again. Now is the time to collaborate. Now is the time to engage as tribal people because in times of crisis, I always feel like our Native people have always been at our best.”