Exporting firms: 21 workers at payroll of $59,260 per worker
Non-exporting firms: 8 workers at payroll of $39,370 per worker
* Census & Bureau of Economic Analysis 2020 report
WHAT THEY MEAN:
Observing the beginning of Native American Heritage Month two weeks ago, and with a Tribal Nations Summit at the White House set for the end of November, U.S. Trade Representative Amb. Katherine Tai says that in developing trade policy:
“We must ensure that Tribal leaders and Indigenous communities have their rightful seat at the table. For these reasons, USTR held our second and now annual Tribal consultation and we are determined to visit with, learn, and hear directly from Tribal leaders on the impact of trade policies on their communities. We also remain deeply focused on exploring how trade policy can enhance the economic well-being of Indigenous workers around the world.”
“Seat at the table” can sound like boilerplate, but in this case it’s not. Under a 2021 White House Memorandum, Biden administration trade (and other) officials have been holding regular “tribal consultations”, meant to solicit advice on policy from representatives of the 574 federally recognized Native American tribes. Some thoughts on the data, institutional steps, and an overseas model that might support this program:
1. Small but high-value export community: Statistical agencies provide some basic facts and data: 1.6 million Native American workers (BLS, 2022); 26,064 known Native American-owned businesses (Census & BEA, 2019); and 79,000 farmers and ranchers (USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture), half of whom live and work in Arizona and New Mexico. The Census/BEA report has specifics on exporters:
USDA’s figures, meanwhile, provide an exceptionally detailed portrait of Native American agriculture – 59 million acres of land; heavier on ranching than crops; $3.5 billion in annual sales, more women operators and more very small farms than the national average – but sadly do not provide export data. Larger tribal governments, however, do at times have statistical reports that can provide some insight. About a decade ago, for example, the Navajo Nation’s tribal enterprises Navajo Agricultural Production Industries estimated $2-$3 million in farm exports, all going to Mexico, in a Navajo agricultural economy then measured at about $35 million per year.
2. “Seat at the Table” Program Might be Broadened: Annual tribal consultations presumably offer tribal governments to raise concerns and identify opportunities that federal government trade officials may miss. (Opportunities to suppress overseas counterfeiting of tribal crafts, as the Indian Arts and Crafts Act works to authenticate tribal artisanal work and deter counterfeiting within the United States? Do trade agreements and national laws offer particular opportunities or create problems for tribes – Tohono O’odham, Blackfeet, Sioux, Mohawk, Inuit – with cross-border memberships?) This may be less effective as a way to provide reactions and advice on day-to-day negotiations and litigation; a complementary option would be to add tribal governments to the “Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee” – “IGPAC” for short, the “cleared-advisor” group created to give state, local and other sub-federal governments – which does not now and may never have had a tribal government representative.
3. An Overseas Model: The most ambitious foreign model for indigenous trade development is probably New Zealand’s “Trade Engagement with Maori” system, based on the 19th-century British-Maori Treaty of Waitangi defining Maori rights and New Zealand government obligations. Trade Engagement is a consultative system codified in a 2019 Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes regular meetings with clan leaders, field hearings, consultations on ongoing negotiations, and also provides explanations of features of New Zealand’s trade agreements meant to provide opportunities or special protections for Maori industry, agriculture, and intellectual property.
The Biden administration’s Memorandum on Tribal Consultation.
The 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit will take place Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
From the National Congress of American Indians, President Fawn Sharp evaluates Biden Administration policies, and offers thoughts on tribal sovereignty, Internet access.
Data –
Census and BEA on American exporting businesses as of 2019. Sort on “Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status” to view Native American businesses; also features in-depth data on exporters by race & ethnicity (African American, white, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic), male/female, publicly/privately owned, and veteran status.
… and the Minority Business Development Administration’s Arizona center promotes Native American exports.
USDA’s summary of Native American agriculture, from the 2017 National Census of Agriculture. (The Census comes out every five years; USDA is now working on the 2022 edition). This finds 79,198 Native American farmers and ranchers, running 60,083 operations on 59 million acres of land – 6.5% of U.S. farmland overall – and producing $3.5 billion in agricultural output.
An overseas model –
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade explains the Trade Engagement with Maori program, including Maori benefits in current New Zealand-Taiwan negotiations, the CPTPP, the PACER-Plus arrangement with Pacific island states, and others.
Policy (1): Intellectual Property Rights –
Tribes as groups, and Native American artisans as individuals, are routine targets for intellectual property theft. Companies continue to use tribal names for profit without permission or payment, and counterfeiters based in Asia copy tribal crafts and sell them as originals not only overseas but in the United States. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) pictured above) explains the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and options for protecting consumers and artisans from counterfeiters.
National Geographic (2018, subscription required) has a case study, reporting on a large-scale case of counterfeiting of Zuni, Navajo, and other tribal crafts in the mid-2010s, with maps of counterfeiters in the Philippines and China and import routes.
Policy (2): Cross-border Nations –
The Tohono O’odham tribe, with land just west of Tucson, on the U.S.-Mexican border and its current implications for tribal family relationships and economy.
St. Regis Mohawks, on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River; Mohawk Akwesasne in Ontario is across the river on the north bank.
The Blackfeet Nation in Montana, with relatives north.
And Inuit Circumpolar Council represents Inuit in the U.S., Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka (Russian far east) in Arctic policy discussions.
Case study –
The Navajo Agricultural Production Enterprise (NAPI), reports $2-$3 million in annual farm exports — pinto beans, corn, wheat and fresh produce such as apricots and cherries — principally to Mexico.
And the Navajo Arts and Crafts Enterprise (NACE) features works from three reservation silversmith shops and 30 weavers, helping artisans and elderly people to supplement family incomes, raise the prestige of craft traditions among young people, and enables U.S. and foreign buyers to buy directly from tribal artisans and avoid counterfeits. They report about $150,000 in annual exports.
And for policy updates, the Navajo Nation’s Washington office.
And some USG resources –
USTR’s Native American Month statement.
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service on agiculture and seafood export promotion (could use an update).
The Commerce Department’s Senior Advisor on Native American Affairs.
The webinar earlier this week, from the Ex-Im Bank and the National Center for American Indian Business Development, on export finance opportunities.
Ed Gresser is Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets at PPI.
Ed returns to PPI after working for the think tank from 2001-2011. He most recently served as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In this position, he led USTR’s economic research unit from 2015-2021, and chaired the 21-agency Trade Policy Staff Committee.
Ed began his career on Capitol Hill before serving USTR as Policy Advisor to USTR Charlene Barshefsky from 1998 to 2001. He then led PPI’s Trade and Global Markets Project from 2001 to 2011. After PPI, he co-founded and directed the independent think tank Progressive Economy until rejoining USTR in 2015. In 2013, the Washington International Trade Association presented him with its Lighthouse Award, awarded annually to an individual or group for significant contributions to trade policy.
Ed is the author of Freedom from Want: American Liberalism and the Global Economy (2007). He has published in a variety of journals and newspapers, and his research has been cited by leading academics and international organizations including the WTO, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. He is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Columbia Universities and a certificate from the Averell Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of the Soviet Union.
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