[11][12] Her mother, Mary Toya,[13] a Native American woman, served in the United States Navy and also worked in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

[14][15] Her father, Major John David "Dutch" Haaland, a Norwegian Minnesotan, was an officer in the United States Marine Corps and recipient of the Silver Star for his actions in Vietnam; he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in 2005.

[22][23] Her professors included future United States poet laureate Joy Harjo, who published Haaland's poetry in a 1997 anthology.

[22][28][20] After law school, Haaland became a counselor for adults with developmental disabilities, then served as a tribal administrator and casino manager in San Felipe Pueblo.

[38][39] In the November 6 general election, Haaland defeated former New Mexico state representative Janice Arnold-Jones,[40] receiving 59.1% of the vote and winning three of the district's five counties.

[45] With Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Minnesota, elected simultaneously, Haaland was one of the first two Native American women to be seated in Congress.

[49] Later that month, Haaland said that students from Covington Catholic High School had displayed "blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance” during the 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation.

[50][51] A libel lawsuit brought by students of the school that called Haaland's words "false and defaming" was dismissed on the grounds that her statements were made in the scope of her employment as a legislator.

[52][53][54][55] On March 7, 2019, during a debate on voting rights and campaign finance, Haaland became the first Native American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives.

[64] Before Biden nominated Haaland, many senior Democrats had voiced their support for her as Secretary of the Interior, including House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Republican representatives Don Young and Tom Cole (a member of the Chickasaw Nation) also expressed their support for Haaland's nomination.

Haaland was sworn in on March 18, 2021, wearing a combination of traditional Laguna Pueblo regalia and a colorful ribbon skirt, custom-made for her by Agnes Woodward.

[15] On her first day as secretary, Haaland met with tribal media in a press conference organized by the department and the Native American Journalists Association, speaking about her intention to include the tribes as decisions that impact them are made.

The initiative's goal is to investigate long-standing abuse in the now defunct residential boarding schools that housed Native American children under the 1819 Civilization Fund Act.

[81][82][83] These monuments will incorporate Native participation in land management, and Haaland has used her tenure to address historical wrongs by including tribes.

[84][85] While serving as secretary, Haaland is completing a master's degree in American Indian studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.