by LauraZ for First People Power Community
This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication
June 18, 2026

Written by Laura Z and Dr. Kevin Inglesby

For over a decade, the Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas (FANA) consistently exercises great efforts in their process "To provide leadership and serve as the collective voice for the development of the mass unification of the Aboriginal Tribes and Nations of the Americas". Leadership and development initiatives have opportunities to be employed toward and within a diverse variety of social domains, and therefore, a closer look at some of the Federation's Citizens can help one in understanding different contexts through which FANA puts their mission into practice.

The Federation maintains a strict standard for Tribal Citizens engaging their institutional legacy and requires participation, service, and the requisite background to become an official representative of FANA. In that sense, an exemplary model of Tribal service may be observed through the Sand Hill Band of Raritan Lenape and Cherokee Indians, as well as FANA Citizen, Maria Lorena Cosme's service to both the Sand Hill Band and the Federation.)

Maria Lorena Cosme began her service when she operated as the Sand Hill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians Tribal Secretary, wherein she managed Tribal Council records, coordinated meetings, and oversaw critical communications between the Tribe and broader communities. Maria Lorena Cosme was also present for the initiation of the Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas. She attended the first meetings, ceremonies, and helped to define the base through which FANA operates today. Once the Federation expanded its capacities and established the Ministry of International Affairs, Maria Lorena Cosme's experience as the Sand Hill Band's Tribal Secretary informed her relevant positioning to function as the Ministry of International Affairs' official Secretary. Her trajectory along that path of service accumulated into successful trips to the United Nations and particular forums such as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

Importantly, in 2021, Maria Lorena Cosme was appointed FANA's Director of Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Outreach to the United Nations. Part of her responsibilities with that position include research and development; the management of strategic events participation and collaborative communications standards at the United Nations Forums; she was responsible for cultivating relationships that resulted with treaty agreements; and strategic negotiation and community building via the use of her bilingual capacities that helped to drive specific inter-Nation coordinations. These elements of Maria Lorena Cosme's service have informed a historic milestone for her and the Federation at large.

In February of 2026, Maria Lorena Cosme was promoted by the Ministry of International Affairs to serve the Federation in capacity as the Director of Global Indigenous Strategy. Her new function in this role is to coalesce Federation Allies, Partners, and Member Nations' interests into a stable, succinct, and unified program so that the Federation's motto Strength Through Unity effectively translates from concept to practice. In the process, she will also oversee the succession planning for the Federation's next Ambassador to the United Nations

As the Director of Global Indigenous Strategy, Maria Lorena Cosme will report directly to the Minister of International Affairs, Principal Sachem Dr. Ronald Yonaguska Holloway. She will work with the Federation's Chief of Staff, Ambassador Chief Douglass Scott, to develop a comprehensive survey of the top 5 most pressing challenges that can feasibly be addressed to advance FANA's Law of Continuity and advance the Federation's vision "To be the catalyst and foundational federation for the progression of global respect and support for the Aboriginal Tribes and Nations of the Americas".