Buffalo Tail Consulting, LLC
Grounded in Tradition.
Advancing Tribal Sovereignty Through Strategy and Advocacy.
Buffalo Tail Consulting, LLC is an American Indian woman-owned consulting firm based in Indian Country, focused on delivering results for Tribal Nations. From advancing federal policy priorities to unlocking funding opportunities and strengthening Tribal systems, our work is designed to create lasting impact. We bring a culturally grounded approach rooted in lived experience, traditional values, and deep respect for Tribal protocols.
About Us
Our mission is to advocate for Tribal and community-driven initiatives and advance Tribal priorities through strategic insight, policy expertise, and advocacy that honors culture, strengthens communities, and builds for future generations.
Our Mission
What sets us apart is our deep understanding of federal systems and how they intersect with Tribal sovereignty. With experience inside federal agencies and alongside Tribal leadership, we know how to position priorities, influence policy, and access funding opportunities. We don’t just understand the system—we know how to move within it to achieve results for Tribal Nations.
What Sets Us Apart
Where Tribal Vision Meets Federal Expertise
Strategic Partnerships & RFP Support
Buffalo Tail Consulting partners with organizations and Tribal Nations as a trusted subject matter expert in Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), Indian Education, and Indian Child Welfare. We collaborate to strengthen program design and proposal development, ensuring efforts are informed by deep expertise and grounded in the realities of Tribal communities.
Our team brings extensive experience in federal policy, program strategy, and culturally grounded practice to support the development of competitive, responsive, and values-driven proposals. We work alongside our partners—not just as advisors, but as collaborators—to shape strong, actionable approaches.
Our process ensures that submissions meet technical requirements while centering Tribal sovereignty, community priorities, and culturally informed solutions. Whether providing strategic guidance, content development, or subject matter expertise, we help position our partners for success while advancing meaningful, community-driven impact.
Organizational Strategy, Capacity Building & Facilitation
Buffalo Tail Consulting delivers customized capacity-building workshops designed to strengthen leadership, governance, and program effectiveness. Each workshop is tailored to the unique goals, challenges, and context of the audience, ensuring relevant, practical, and actionable outcomes.
Our approach blends strategic expertise with culturally grounded perspectives, offering participants the tools and knowledge needed to navigate complex systems, strengthen programs, and drive meaningful impact. We work with both Tribal and non-Tribal audiences to build understanding, improve practice, and support more effective, respectful engagement with Tribal communities.
Workshop Areas Include:
Governance and strategic planning
Federal funding navigation and compliance
Program development, implementation, and evaluation
Self-governance and policy advocacy
Integrated care and community-based service models
Trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches
Federal Indian policy and its impact
Historical and intergenerational trauma, including the legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies
Federal Policy Technical Advisor
Buffalo Tail Consulting serves as a trusted federal policy and technical advisor, providing strategic guidance to Tribal Nations, organizations, and partners navigating complex federal systems. We bring deep subject matter expertise to help advance Tribal priorities, align strategies with federal processes, and position initiatives for success.
Our role is to support Tribal leaders in consultation, advisory committees, and federal engagement opportunities—ensuring their voices are effectively represented and their priorities are translated into actionable strategies that drive meaningful, measurable results.
Policy Advocacy
Buffalo Tail Consulting provides strategic guidance to Tribal Nations navigating federal systems and advancing self-determination. We support Tribal nations in planning, negotiation, and implementation, with a focus on achieving practical, measurable outcomes.
We support Tribal nations access and alignment with resources for infrastructure and facility development, ensuring projects are positioned for long-term success. Our team also supports the development of integrated, culturally grounded programs that strengthen health, wellness, and community systems.
Areas of Focus:
Self-Governance
Public Safety and Justice
Indian Child Welfare
Behavioral and Mental Health
Education
Public Health
Our work is grounded in sovereignty and designed to help Tribal Nations move forward with clarity, confidence, and impact.
Budget Formulation & Process Support
Buffalo Tail Consulting provides expert guidance on the Tribal budget formulation process, helping ensure that Native Nations are fully prepared to advocate for their priorities at the federal level. We support Tribes in understanding and engaging with the annual budget cycles of key federal agencies.
Our services include:
Development of federal budget priorities, justifications, and narratives
Technical Advice of Tribal consultation sessions
Strategic preparation for congressional hearings
Analysis of federal budget trends and funding opportunities
Technical assistance in aligning budgets with policy goals and program needs
We are committed to empowering Tribes to effectively engage in federal Tribal consultations, listening sessions, congressional hearings, and budget formulation processes.
Our approach helps identify strategic opportunities and navigate the complexities of federal systems, all while centering Tribal sovereignty and community priorities.
Founder and Principal
Marisa Miakonda Cummings is a citizen of the Omaha Tribe and a member of the Buffalo Tail Clan of the Sky People. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience across Tribal government, higher education, nonprofit executive leadership, and the federal government. Her work sits at the intersection of public health, public safety, and traditional healing systems, with a proven ability to translate Tribal community priorities into effective federal policy and strategy.
Most recently, Marisa served as Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs under the senior official performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she led high-impact policy initiatives affecting Tribal Nations, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), Indian Child Welfare, early childhood development, Native language preservation, “477” program integration, and Tribal self-governance. She also oversaw implementation efforts tied to the Native Children’s Commission’s The Way Forward report, helping translate its recommendations into actionable federal policy and cross-agency strategies.
Marisa served as an alternate Commissioner on the Not Invisible Act Commission, where she contributed to national recommendations addressing public safety in Tribal communities, particularly at the intersection of violence prevention, intervention, and systemic response. She also led interdepartmental initiatives to advance the Commission’s recommendations, strengthening coordination, accountability, and the federal response to the MMIP crisis.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, a Master’s in Tribal Administration and Governance from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and a Certificate in Philanthropic Fundraising from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Marisa Miakonda Cummings
Citizen of the Omaha Tribe
Tribal Policy Strategist | Federal Systems Advisor | Advocacy & Thought Leadership
Principal
Ryan Wilson is a policy strategist with expertise in Native language revitalization, American Indian religious freedom, Indian education, and cultural preservation. His work centers on advancing Tribal sovereignty by protecting Native languages, strengthening education systems, and safeguarding the inherent rights of Tribal Nations to practice and sustain their cultural and spiritual traditions.
Ryan brings extensive experience in federal policy and advocacy, working to ensure that Tribal priorities are reflected in legislation, funding, and program design. He is a former President of the National Indian Education Association, where he played a key role in advancing national policy efforts to support Native students and Tribal education systems.
He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Native Language Task Force at the National Congress of American Indians, leading efforts to elevate and protect Indigenous languages through coordinated policy and advocacy strategies at the national level.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington and a Master’s in Tribal Administration from Evergreen State College.
Ryan Wilson
Citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe
Tribal Policy Strategist | Federal Systems Advisor | Native Languages, Education & Cultural Advocacy
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