Our River Our Home Campaign and Website

Situation:

In June 2019, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation launched the Our River, Our Home campaign to advocate for and reaffirm the tribe’s legal rights to the minerals beneath the Missouri River on the Fort Berthold Reservation. When brought on as MHA Nation’s communications partner, our aim was to develop educational tools and messaging strategies that resonate with tribal members, reach elected officials, and inform North Dakota residents of the tribe’s long-standing connection with the river and the many times their riverbed rights have been legally affirmed by the U.S. government. Following MHA Nation’s leadership, we continue to advocate for tribal self-sufficiency so the needs of future generations will be met.

Strategy:

• Targeted media coverage to reach tribal members and North Dakota elected officials
• Produced videos to tell the MHA Nation’s story
• Conducted interviews with Tribal elders, leaders, and historians
• Managed social media platforms and integrated visual storytelling
• Created an informational landing site as a resource for target audiences

Results:

• 550+ media stories in local, national, and international media since July 2019
• The Biden Administration withdrew the false Jorjani opinion, which sought to illegally take away the MHA Nation’s property rights to the Missouri River bed within the Fort Berthold Reservation. The Riverbed issue is currently still in litigation.