Telling the Story of Indigenous Conservation

Culturally Appropriate Storytelling on Conservation in The Blackfeet Nation

Piikani Lodge Health Institute (PLHI) engaged Tahoma Peak Solutions to address a unique communications challenge in its efforts to transition the Blackfeet Nation from a reservation to a Nation characterized by joy and abundance. As an Indigenous-founded and led nonprofit organization focused on promoting the health and well-being of the Blackfeet people and their lands, PLHI recognized the regional issues and negative sentiment associated with the term “conservation.” Historically, conservation efforts were often rooted in outsider values that did not respect or reflect the interests of the Piikani people, whose ancestral roots in the region predate Browning, Montana by over 10,000 years. Tahoma Peak Solutions partnered with PLHI to reframe its messaging to ensure it was grounded in the traditional values and lifeways of the Blackfeet people, thereby better supporting PLHI’s conservation initiatives that truly benefit the Nation’s interests.

Tahoma Peak Solutions began by analyzing PLHI communications surrounding conservation projects and developed a new suite of updated words, phrases, and messaging strategies. The revised sets of communications were tested in community focus groups to gather feedback from the Piikani Tribe. The community focus group’s feedback helped determine which messages resonated positively, and which elicited feelings of mistrust and hesitation that the Blackfeet Nation’s had historically experienced with conservation.

Based on the findings from the Piikani Tribal community’s focus groups, Tahoma Peak Solutions crafted an updated communications strategy to better resonate with the people of the Blackfeet Nation. This comprehensive communications package included in-depth informational articles, talking points for Tribal leadership, newsletters, and a series of creative social media assets to promote the important conservation projects led by PLHI.