Governor Steve Bullock

2011 Tribal Relations Training

On December 13, 2011, over 250 State of Montana employees attended the Tribal Relations Training, "Working Effectively with Tribal Nations". The training is hosted yearly by the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs.

Guest speakers included Governor Brian Schweitzer, Earl Old Person, Chief of the Blackfeet Nation, and John Sanchez, Associate Professor, College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University.

Training Agenda

In addition to the State of Montana Tribal Relations Training, the Governor's Office encourages state employees to engage in a free on-line federal training program, entitled "Working Effectively with Tribal Governments". The training curriculum has been developed to provide government employees with skills and knowledge they can use to work more effectively with tribal governments. In this course, you will develop an understanding and awareness of tribal issues and concerns. You will learn about the unique status of Indian tribes which introduces users to concepts essential to understanding the unique political status of federally recognized Indian Tribes, such as tribal sovereignty, the government-to-government relationship, and the federal trust responsibility; the history of tribal-federal relations, explains the complex issues of jurisdiction in Indian Country, provides links to various federal statutes that pertain to Indian tribes; and, provides essential cultural information that can greatly increase the quality of cross-cultural communication.

To take the federal online training program, you can log on as a state employee by simply providing your name and email address. The course should not take more than one hour, and includes a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Go to: Working Effectively with Tribal Governments