Statements
Mission
The mission of the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee, Inc. is to provide social and supportive services and cultural revitalization for the more than 25,000 Native American Indians living throughout Tennessee and to promote Native American Indian arts and crafts.
Background
The Native American Indian Association (NAIA) was founded in 1982. NAIA's motto is "Indians Helping Indians" and our mission is to provide social services and cultural revitalization for the Native Americans in all 95 counties in Tennessee. Because Tennessee has no Indian reservations, there has been no state or federal recognition of the Indian people of Tennessee with state or federal services targeting Native Americans. The Native population of Tennessee includes more than 25,000 people according to the 2016 Census Estimate. Tennessee's Indian population falls into three main categories: Choctaws in West Tennessee, Cherokees in East Tennessee and inter-tribal Native Americans in all the rural and metropolitan areas. The approximately 500 Choctaws are Tennessee's only Native speaking band. There are approximately 3,000 people in Eastern Tennessee of Cherokee heritage. Each of the four major metropolitan areas has over 1,000 Native Americans. The Native American Indian Association is the only statewide Indian organization representing the concerns of these Native people. From 1982 until 1989, NAIA was an all volunteer organization with no paid staff. In 1989, NAIA received funding from USDOL/DINAP to provide Employment and Training services through the Job Training Partnership Act. Since that time NAIA has received grants for US Department of Education, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Metropolitan Arts Council, the Methodist Church, the IBM Corporation, the Nissan Corporation, The Hospital Corporation of America, the Administration for Native Americans, the Resolution Trust Corporation, FEMA, the Commission on Religion in Appalachia, and other state, federal, foundation and corporate sources.
Impact
In 2021, NAIA assisted 90 families with the following:
* Emergency Assistance: Food, rent, utilities, transportation, medical bills, funeral arrangements
* Educational Assistance: College tuition, nursing assistant program, other technical training
*Job Placement & Counselling
Our Pow-Wow is highly anticipated by the Native and non-Native community. Our 2021 Annual Indian Education Pow Wow provided:
* A unique glimpse of American Indian culture to thousands of event guests
*Youth education enrichment, especially since our history is often overlooked in standard elementary school textbooks
*A communal platform for Native American Tribal members to interact with the public, teach about our traditions and to revitalize key aspects of our culture
Needs
The Circle of Life Indian Cultural Center is our major capital campaign.
American Indians do not have state- or federally-recognized lands in Tennessee, which makes it difficult for the ~30,000 Indians living here to seek social services, network for employment and education, and to just maintain cultural ties. To fill this gap for our People, the Native American Indian Association (NAIA) is seeking funding to construct a Museum and Community Center in Davidson County, Nashville at the cost of $2.5 million. We hope that it will provide a valuable resource for Natives in Tennessee and also the general public who wish to learn more about our culture.
CEO Statement
Our Annual Indian Education Pow Wow and Fall Festival promotes unity, provides educational, hands-on experiences for students and educators and the opportunity to meet real Native Americans and learn about our culture and history. We are grateful for your support of our cultural programs and Circle of Life Indian Cultural Center.
Board Chair Statement
In 2021, the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee, Inc. (NAIA) was successful in increasing our membership and holding the most attended Pow Wow in our organization's history with an estimated 16,000 attendees. We are proud to have hosted an annual Pow Wow for 40 years in Middle Tennessee, and with your support we look forward to the next 40 years of supporting and celebrating Native Americans in Tennessee.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Human Services |
| Secondary Category: | Education - |
| Tertiary Category: | Housing, Shelter - Housing Support |
Areas Served
NAIA serves Native Americans living in all 95 counties in Tennessee.
| TN |
