"A lot of our communities, they are the number one employer in a region." 

According to the National Center for American Indian 6Enterprise Development, tribal governments and their enterprises are seeing great success in building 7sustainable economies 8rooted in their cultural values, employing thousands of workers and generating billions in dollars in state, regional and federal economies. And the organization's leadership says there's a growing effort to increase that success through 9intertribal 10trade and collaboration by creating new businesses and 11generating more jobs.

"Those tribes are supporting states, they're supporting local economies. Many of our 12tribes are involved in tourism." 

Next month, President Joe Biden is 13set to host leaders from some of the 574 federally recognized tribes at the White House to discuss ways the federal government can invest in and strengthen Native communities. Meanwhile, some communities are prioritizing continued 14self-reliance. One example is the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance, which created an intertribal exchange app that allows anyone to share and trade goods and services in a digital marketplace. 

"It 15empowers indigenous people around the world to really add items and create 16abundance in their area." 

Another example, an effort led by Native Hawaiians. The nation of Hawaii is signing peace and friendship 17treaties with federally recognized tribes to support each other and to 18amplify their economic and social goals worldwide.