Deb Haaland is more than a politician.

Last week, Deb Haaland was confirmed by the Biden Administration as the new Secretary of Interior, making her the first Native American woman in history to join the U.S. Cabinet. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe in New Mexico, a community that has been historically mistreated by the department of interior.

A recent NPR article about Haaland’s confirmation said:

“She’s promising to begin repairing a legacy of broken treaties and abuses

committed by the federal government towards tribes. It’s one pillar of a long and

ambitious to-do list of reforms the administration is planning at the sprawling agency

that is the federal government’s most direct contact with the nation’s 574 federally

recognized— and sovereign— tribes.”

Credit: Associated Press

Halland’s “to-do list of reforms” is important to many Native American communities; however, her role as a politician symbolizes much more. She serves as a symbol of representation and will become a teacher for many people in America who know little about the indigenous population in the U.S. In an interview with Dr. Gregory Cajete, professor of Native American studies at the University of Mexico, he told me:

“She has a deep understanding of family, community, and culture, and tradition. You

know that really formed the foundation for Pueblo people and Pueblo life today.

She’ll be a teacher in the sense of teaching others about the other side of the story—

the native story— and also about how we really have to begin to change our

consciousness, with regard to how we address issues of land use, issues of

environmental degradation, and human rights. She’s a very excellent and eloquent

representative of that other voice in the context of the work that she will be doing as

secretary of interior.”

This idea of raising “consciousness” about native tribes across America is important to Haaland’s role as a politician. Although she will be busy working on legislation that deals with “environmental degradation” and “human rights,” Haaland will serve as a voice for “the native story” and will provide a more primary perspective on “Pueblo life today.”

Some politicians work hard to keep their personal life out of the limelight. However, Haaland’s situation is unique in the sense that her personal life and identity will play a primary role in the future of how the department of interior operates, and more importantly, the extent to which American citizens know about ingenious communities across the U.S.