Endorsement of Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation’s Consultation Protocols of the Sovereign Alliance
Statement from the Pehta Foundation
As Executive Director of the Pehta Foundation, I am honoured to issue this formal statement recognizing and endorsing the Consultation Protocols of the Sovereign Alliance, authored and adopted by the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation under the leadership of Chief Rodger Redman, his Council, and the Elders. This framework represents a historic and foundational step forward in how Indigenous Nations assert authority over project approvals on their lands and territories.
At a time when Canada is poised to enact new “Projects in the National Interest” legislation and is actively reworking its federal Consultation and Accommodation Guidelines, Standing Buffalo has launched a protocol rooted not in reaction, but in resurgence. It reflects a deliberate and powerful exercise of sovereign governance. This Protocol does more than demand recognition—it sets a working standard for how industry, government, and Indigenous Nations can engage in ways that are honourable, lawful, and outcomes-based.
The Pehta Foundation commends Standing Buffalo for grounding this framework in sovereignty. This principle—recognizing that consultation is not a request for rights, but an exercise of rights—gives the Protocol enduring relevance for both Treaty and non-Treaty Nations. The model does not compare or diminish different historical relationships with the Crown; rather, it affirms the strength of all Indigenous legal orders, whether expressed through Treaty, inherent title, or ancient alliance. By situating its framework in the ancient oral covenant of the Oceti Sakowin, Standing Buffalo contributes to a deeper understanding of how distinct Indigenous legal traditions can operate within and alongside Crown regulatory systems.
This Protocol is especially significant to the Pehta Foundation because it has strategically integrated Pehta-aligned metrics throughout—capturing Indigenous employment, procurement, community contributions, and cultural integrity through verifiable standards. These mechanisms are essential not only for transparency and accountability, but for transforming the day-to-day realities of Indigenous families. Data of this kind, when wielded by the Nations themselves, becomes a powerful instrument for equity—redirecting the wealth of billion-dollar projects toward the needs of children, families, and community development.
We are especially proud to affirm that Standing Buffalo is a formal signatory to the Pehta Foundation and currently the only First Nation in Saskatchewan to date that holds this distinction. They are not only participants but shareholders in the governance structure of the Foundation, helping to guide its evolution from within.
The Consultation Protocols of the Sovereign Alliance are a transformative instrument—structured, principled, and visionary. They raise the Crown-Industry-First Nation relationship to the standard of honour that Indigenous Nations have called for across generations. In the work of Standing Buffalo, we see a model of self-determination that is principled, technically sound, and grounded in cultural law.
The Pehta Foundation proudly supports this leadership and looks forward to working in continued partnership with Standing Buffalo as we expand Indigenous-led standards of accountability, transparency, and benefit-sharing across Canada and beyond.
Signed,
Aaron Lambie
Executive Director
Pehta Foundation
To learn more about this ground breaking work please see the following link - https://www.standingbuffalodakotanation.com/
