A solar power non-profit organization led by members of the Indigenous Native American community has announced its relaunch.

Originally founded in 2016, the Indigenized Energy Initiative (IEI) initially formed under the title of Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative. The Initiative’s goal was to bring together leaders of Native American communities around the United States with interests in solar power, with the mission of reducing energy poverty within the Indigenous community.

IEI hope to use the growing renewable energy market to help reduce the effects of energy poverty on Native Americans, as well as provide a route to improving the economic situation of those communities through creating jobs and opportunities.

“Through the work of Indigenized Energy Initiative, we are indigenizing — decolonizing — the deployment of renewable energy to address the social, economic, spiritual, and environmental concerns of Native people,” said Cody Two Bears, co-founder of IEI. “Our new name better reflects our mission — Native people are taking back the power.”

Otto Braided Hair, co-founder and executive director of Indigenized Energy Initiative, said: “We want to empower our tribes and tribal members with the knowledge, skills, and clean alternative methods to produce energy.

“It is important our people bring about this change, that this effort is made by Native people, for Native people.”

The switch to solar power also provides a way for Native American communities to break free from reliance on fossil fuel companies, from whom they have been the subject of exploitative behaviour.

“Energy is a trillion-dollar industry,” said Bob Blake, advisory board member of Indigenized Energy Initiative. “Instead of divisive pipelines like DAPL, Line 3 and coal mining destroying our homelands, tribal utilities can offer a positive, Native-led path forward.

“We have a chance to help build the future rather than continuing the methods of the past.”

Chief Henry Red Cloud, advisory board member of Indigenized Energy Initiative, said: “Indigenized Energy Initiative leverages solar energy as a tool to transform entire economic, ecological, and social systems in some of the most marginalized and disadvantaged communities in the country while upholding our commitments to protect and preserve the Earth.

“This is the new way of honoring the old ways.”