For Tia Butler, March was a month of healing, connection, and purpose. Through round dances, youth wellness spaces, environmental law conversations, and Tribal food sovereignty work, Tia continued to grow as a Native youth leader rooted in community care and future-focused advocacy. Her leadership shows how healing and justice can move together—through ceremony, relationships, education, and the protection of Indigenous food systems.
Tia attended the Grand Ronde Youth Wellness Day before the community’s Round Dance and set up a UNITY table to share information and connect with youth. The event was especially meaningful because it was hosted by Susun and Izaiah Fisher, two previous Siletz Tribal UNITY Northwest Regional Representatives. By being present at the wellness event, Tia helped connect Native youth to UNITY’s larger national network while honoring the work of past regional leaders. This kind of outreach reflects how leadership continues across generations, with one youth leader helping open the door for the next.
Tia also attended Round Dances hosted by the Siletz and Grand Ronde Tribes. The Grand Ronde Round Dance was held at the Tribal Gym, with the event listed as part of the community’s March gathering.
For Tia, these gatherings were part of a larger season of healing. She shared, “This month was a time of healing.”
At the Siletz Round Dance, she visited with community members and connected with many people who came to ceremony. These moments of connection reflect the importance of cultural gatherings as places of wellness, belonging, and intergenerational support for Native youth and families.
As a pre-law undergraduate, Tia also attended the University of Oregon School of Law’s Public Interest Environmental Law Conference and the Indigenous Peoples’ Reception. The 44th annual conference was held in Eugene with the theme “Fight Back,” emphasizing collective action around environmental protection and social justice. The University of Oregon’s Native Environmental Sovereignty Project also identifies the Indigenous Peoples’ Reception as part of its work connected to environmental law and Tribal sovereignty at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference. For Tia, the conference was a place to connect with leaders and role models working in the same field she is pursuing. She built relationships, learned from conversations, and strengthened her understanding of how law, environmental protection, and Tribal sovereignty are connected.
Tia’s report also highlighted her continued connection to Tribal Food Sovereignty work. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians’ Garden Program includes a Food Sovereignty Box Program that works directly with Tribal members and families during the growing season. Through her conversations at the law conference and Indigenous Peoples’ Reception, Tia further established relationships with people working in Tribal Food Sovereignty. These connections support her long-term leadership path, especially as she continues building knowledge in law, environmental justice, and community-based food systems.
Tia’s month shows how Native youth leadership can move through many spaces at once. She supported youth wellness outreach, joined cultural gatherings, attended ceremony, deepened her legal education, and continued building relationships in Tribal Food Sovereignty. Each of these areas connects to the well-being of Native communities. Her leadership reflects a strong understanding that healing is not separate from advocacy. It is part of it. When Native youth are connected to culture, supported in wellness spaces, and prepared to engage in law and policy, they help build stronger futures for their communities.
The National UNITY Council uplifts Native youth, Native Hawaiian youth, and Alaskan Native youth by creating opportunities to study common concerns, strengthen leadership skills, and speak with a positive and unified voice. Tia’s work reflects this mission by connecting wellness, cultural belonging, environmental justice, and food sovereignty into a larger vision for community care.
As the Northwest Regional Representative on the National UNITY Council Executive Committee, Tia Butler plays an important role in representing Native youth voices from her region while helping strengthen UNITY’s national network. Her leadership this month reminds us that healing can be a form of action, and that Native youth are already building pathways toward justice, wellness, and sovereignty across Indian Country.
