Native relations emerged as a central focus of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday for Secretary of the Interior, where he pledged to uphold the government-to-government relationship with tribes through consultation on issues like public land management.
If confirmed, Burgum would oversee federal programs affecting tribal nations through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education, while also managing 500 million acres of public lands — much of it ancestral tribal territory — along with federal wildlife programs and national parks and monuments.
As North Dakota’s governor, Burgum developed relationships with the state’s five tribes. Though tensions arose over his handling of the Dakota Access pipeline protests, he established regular dialogue with tribal leaders, including the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe…