United South and Eastern Tribes

United South and Eastern Tribes
Name	United South and Eastern Tribes
Abbreviation	USET
Formation	1969
Type	Tribal organization
Headquarters	Nashville, Tennessee
Region served	Southeastern United States
Membership	Tribal nations
Leader title	President

United South and Eastern Tribes is a regional tribal organization formed to advance the collective interests of Indigenous nations across the Southeastern and Eastern United States. It serves as a tribal coalition for policy coordination, intergovernmental advocacy, legal defense, cultural preservation, and program development for member nations drawn from diverse Indigenous communities such as the Cherokee, Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The organization operates within a network of national and regional entities including the National Congress of American Indians, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada to influence federal legislation, agency rulemaking, and judicial outcomes affecting treaty rights, land claims, and tribal sovereignty.

History

USET was chartered in the late 20th century amid broader movements represented by the Red Power movement, the American Indian Movement, and the policy shifts after the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. Early conferences convened leaders from nations such as the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to coordinate responses to federal statutes like the Indian Reorganization Act and decisions from the United States Supreme Court including California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. Over decades USET engaged with administrations from the Nixon administration through the Biden administration, filing amicus briefs in cases involving the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of the Interior while collaborating with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and National Indian Health Board to document cultural heritage and public health impacts.

Membership and Organization

Member nations include federally recognized entities across multiple states, ranging from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs in Maine. The membership roster overlaps with organizations like the Association on American Indian Affairs and the United Tribes of Michigan, and it addresses cross-jurisdictional matters tied to statutes such as the Indian Child Welfare Act and compacts with state governments including agreements modeled after gaming compacts adjudicated in cases like California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. USET's structure provides working groups for issues relevant to nations such as the Passamaquoddy tribe, Haliwa-Saponi, Catawba Indian Nation, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, and Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

Governance and Leadership

USET is governed by a board composed of tribal leaders—chiefs, chairpersons, and chiefs of staff—from member nations, many of whom have also held offices in bodies like the Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and commissions akin to the National Indian Gaming Commission. Past presidents and officers have included leaders affiliated with the Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma), Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, who often represent their nations in forums such as meetings with the United States Congress, House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, and United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The organization's bylaws and resolutions are ratified in plenary sessions modeled on intertribal councils similar to those convened by the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona and Alaska Federation of Natives.

Programs and Services

USET administers technical assistance programs in areas parallel to services provided by the Indian Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Administration for Native Americans, offering assistance with healthcare initiatives like tribal health compacting, workforce development akin to Indian Health Service recruitment, environmental protection projects connected to the Environmental Protection Agency, and emergency preparedness coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Programmatic work also supports cultural preservation in partnership with entities such as the National Museum of the American Indian and legal support through collaborations with public interest groups like the Native American Rights Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union on litigation involving treaty rights, land access, and religious freedom claims under statutes like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Advocacy and Policy Initiatives

The organization leads advocacy on federal appropriations, regulatory comments to agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency, and policy campaigns regarding statutes including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Indian Child Welfare Act, and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. USET has submitted tribal resolutions on energy development projects involving the Bureau of Land Management and on broadband deployment interfacing with the Federal Communications Commission. It participates in litigation strategies with law firms and advocacy groups that have appeared in cases before the United States Supreme Court, engages with international mechanisms like submissions to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and negotiates intergovernmental agreements with state executives and attorneys general.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding and partnerships come from federal grant programs administered by agencies such as the Indian Health Service, Administration for Native Americans, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, and Department of Agriculture; from philanthropic partners including the Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and from collaborations with academic institutions like University of Oklahoma, Duke University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. USET partners with regional organizations such as the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and national organizations including the National Congress of American Indians and First Nations Development Institute to leverage funding for initiatives in public health, cultural preservation, economic development, and legal capacity-building.

Category:Native American organizations Category:Native American history Category:Organizations established in 1969