President's Welcome

Dear Friends, leaders, and partners,

We are happy to host the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians 2026 Winter Convention in Portland, Oregon: City of Roses, home to the ATNI Embassy, and ancestral land to some of our member Tribes.

At last year’s winter conference, we were ready to develop policy initiatives to present to the new administration. As you recall, our conference was immediately met with several of President Trump’s Executive Orders that required immediate response from our tribal leadership. Fortunately, we were assembled at ATNI and we were able to develop statements working with national tribal organizations like NCAI. ATNI was one of the first organizations to draft a letter, insisting that Tribal Nations be exempt from any decisions that would disrupt Federal funds.

Since last year tribal governments have vigilantly reviewed and analyzed federal actions that may impact and/or threaten our sovereignty and our freedom to provide for our people, including wholesale reductions of key positions in Federal agencies, funding cuts and reckless challenges to our political and cultural identity.

Once again, we will be seeking input and consensus from Tribal Leaders and policy staff on issues facing the Tribes of the Northwest. In addition to informational presentations, we have reserved blocks of time on the agenda for Tribal Leaders to convene and discuss priority topics and develop region-wide strategies to respond to the latest challenges and opportunities. A new feature to this convention is a block set-aside for State Caucuses. Before we wrap up the Convention, we are hosting the Tribal Leaders Roundtable. Please bring your voice and solutions-based ideas to these sessions.

ATNI is seen nationally as a leading organization in Indian Country. That is due to the strong Tribal leadership that we have in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you for making us great!

Respectfully,