Interior Secretary Deb Haaland accepted the Hopi Nation Tribal flag July 28 as a powerful reminder for the government to continue to strengthen relations with Native Tribes.

"This afternoon, I accepted the flag of the Hopi Tribe, which will hang in @Interior as a reminder to honor our commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Native Tribes," Haaland said in a July 28 Twitter post.

Haaland was joined by U.S. Department of Indian Affairs Chairman Clark Tenakhongva, Bureau of Indian Affairs museum curator Justin Giles and Hopi Tribe Deputy General Counsel Carlene Tenakhongva. 

The flag will hang in the Bureau of Indian Affairs Hall of Tribal Nations Museum, according to an Indian Affairs Twitter post. 

Haaland herself has an indigenous heritage as a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and made history when she became the first member of the Native American community to serve as a cabinet secretary, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated on its website.

Growing up in a military family, Haaland served as San Felipe Pueblo's tribal administrator and became the first female elected to the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors where she oversaw business operations of the second largest New Mexico tribal gaming enterprise, the DOI site stated.

Haaland also ran for governor in New Mexico in 2014. She was also one of the first Native American females to serve in Congress, where she focused on climate change, indigenous women who went missing and/or were murdered, environmental justice and family-friendly policies.  

After being selected by the Biden Administration to fill the Interior secretary role, Haaland took to Twitter Dec. 17, 2020, to share how she felt. 

"A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior," she said. "Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land. I am honored and ready to serve."