Tribal Advisor

Hope Craig has more than 15 years of experience working with Urban Indian Communities, Organizations, and Tribal Nations in the capacity of policymaking, community-building, leadership, and tribal governance. Hope is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and maintains a strong relationship with the community and Tribal leadership. Hope is currently the Board Chairwoman of the United American Indian Involvement (UAII), located in Los Angeles, California leading the organization through a reorganization and renewal of the commitment to the many urban natives in Los Angeles County. In 2018, Hope founded the California Mvskoke Community as a response to the needs of Mvskokvlke (Mvskoke people) living beyond the borders of their reservation. Now, through the California Mvskoke Community, Mvskokvlke throughout California have greater opportunities to connect with their Native heritage and participate in their political system.

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hope took action to combat what can only be described as a massive cultural loss. The Native community was in mourning because of the number of COVID-related deaths. Indian country was rapidly losing elders, language speakers, and ceremonial ground leaders. Hope recognized an urgent need to heal our people and preserve our culture through learning the Mvskoke language. She co-created an online Mvskoke language class, Mvskoke Hoktvke Kerretv Yvcvkvt (Women who want to learn Mvskoke). This online language platform influenced the revitalization of our tribal language department. It inspired them to create an online language course available to all citizens in the United States and as far the UK.

Hope has worked in the construction industry for over thirty years, but at the young age of forty-eight, decided to go back to school and make her dreams a reality. Currently, Hope is a senior at the University of Arizona through their online program and will be completing a Bachelor of Arts in Law with a minor in Tribal Courts and Justice Administration in the Spring of 2024. Hope plans to go on to pursue her Master’s in Indian Federal Law at Arizona State University starting in Fall 2024.

Hope’s goal is to work in Public Policy to reshape federal policies that affect Tribal Nations and work with them to strengthen tribal codes in order to protect Tribal sovereignty. Hope has a special interest in Indian Child Welfare (ICW) and desires to build an inter-tribal legal infrastructure for ICW cases to create a shared resource that will eventually transition all ICW cases from state courts to tribal courts. Protecting our Native children from being removed from their homes and tribal communities is crucial to tribal and cultural sovereignty and the core of rebuilding Tribal Nations.