Tara Houska

Tara Houska is a citizen of Couchiching First Nation, a tribal attorney, land defender, environmental and Indigenous rights advocate, and founder of the Giniw Collective, an Indigenous women, two-spirit-led frontline resistance to defend the sacred and live in balance. Ms. Houska was active in resisting the Line 3 oil pipeline, the Dakota Access pipeline, and is heavily involved in the movement to defund fossil fuels. She is a TED speaker, the recipient of the 2021 American Climate Leadership Award and the 2019 Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award. Ms. Houska served as an advisor on Native American affairs to Senator Bernie Sanders, and co-founded Not Your Mascots, a non-profit committed to promoting positive representation of Native Americans in the public sphere. She has written for the women-led climate anthology “All We Can Save”, the New York Times, CNN, Vogue, and Indian Country Today. Tara earned a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota.