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The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is joining six other tribes located within South Dakota in banning Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) from its reservation.

As South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger reports, an eighth may follow suit.

The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe passed a resolution banning Gov. Noem from the boundaries of its reservation Tuesday morning.

The move comes following comments by the Republican governor alleging tribal leaders benefit from cartel activity. During a recent town hall, Gov. Noem also said kids “don’t have any hope.”

Chairman Peter Lengkeek says Crow Creek does not have Mexican drug cartels on their reservation.

“We have cartel products, like guns and drugs. But they pass over state highways getting to the reservation. So, putting us all together like that and saying that all tribes are involved in this really shows to the ignorance of the governor’s office—not willing to reach out and learn, and connect, with the tribes—that’s what that is indicative of.”

Last week, the Sisseton-Wahpeton and Yankton Tribes banned Gov. Noem from their reservations.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe recently rejected banishing Gov. Noem from its reservation. But Chairman Clyde Estes says the council may revisit the idea at their next meeting in June.

Estes says he draws the line at Gov. Noem talking about Native children.

“The children should be left out of any political discussion. Not to say that they don’t have no hope is wrong and should not have said that.”

It’s unclear if the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe will also ban Gov. Noem.

A spokesperson for Gov. Noem’s office has not returned requests for comment.

Unintentional injuries are among the top ten leading causes of death for older adults – and during Older Americans Month experts want to raise awareness about the importance of prevention.

Alex Gonzalez has more.

Holly Billie, a tribal injury advocate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Injury Center, said Indigenous communities around the country face unique challenges relating to falls and motor vehicle crashes.

“They have higher motor vehicle crash death rates compared to older adults of other races and ethnicities. Disparities are usually a problem in tribal communities.”

Billie added while disparities relating to falls and motor vehicle crashes are higher in Indigenous communities, it’s important to remember that most of these injuries are preventable.

In an effort to decrease the susceptibility to injury or even death, Billie contends the answer could lie within social connectedness.

She noted those who have close, supportive relationships have been shown to live longer, and encourages Tribal Nations to think about creative ways to further cultivate a sense of community.

Gwen Bergen, team lead with the CDC’s Injury Center, said unintentional injuries can impair older adults from doing the things they want and need to do to stay healthy, happy and connected.

For those who are concerned about their ability to drive, or their chances of falling, she recommends having open and honest conversations with medical providers as well as caretakers.

“Another important thing to do is to consider, with your doctor, what kinds of medicines you’re taking and what the side effects of those may be. Certain medications can have side effects that can increase your risk of falling or increase your risk of being in a motor vehicle crash.”

To prevent falls, she encouraged practicing strength and balance exercises, as well as taking part in physical activity that increases muscle strength such as walking, group exercise or low-impact sports.

 

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Rocket Mortgage has agreed to pay $65,000 to settle an unfair lending complaint with a St. Ignatius, Mont. family, according to federal housing officials.

The family, which was not identified in the settlement, filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last summer.

They allege Rocket Mortgage denied their loan application because they are Indigenous, forcing them to accept a higher interest rate from another lender.

Rocket Mortgage denies the allegations, but agreed to pay the settlement.

The company is also required to provide fair lending training to its employees and to pay an additional $30,000 to “programs that improve housing conditions, consumer financial literacy and education, outreach, and homeownership education or counseling for Native Americans.”

A new report about Indigenous children was discussed during a recent U.S. Senate committee roundtable.

The study by the Commission on Native Children makes key recommendations it wants the government to fund.

Yvette Fernandez reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

The report called Way Forward addresses several concerns about Native children, ranging from improving prenatal care to limiting drop out rates and teen suicide.

Gloria O’Neil of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council of Alaska chairs the commission.

She says while there are many challenges facing Native communities, it’s also important to celebrate successes.

She mentioned a summer program called a “super fab lab” where students learn new technology to help prepare them for the workforce.

“We bring job skills into that place. So when youth spend time with us after school, during summers, they have a standard of skills that they need to thrive in this world.”

The study showed that more than a third of Indigenous youth live in homes that are unable to afford basic needs.

Watch The U.S. Senate Committee On Indian Affairs Hearing

As efforts to give a new generation of Lakota youth the gift of their traditional language continue, one school is using technology to make that education easier.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene reports.

In Mission on the Rosebud Reservation, the Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci immersion school has introduced an app to students to bolster their language learning efforts.

Forster Cournoyer-Hogan is operations manager at the school.

“The Uncí Wóslolye app was a partnership between our school, the Maȟpíya Lúta immersion program, and an app developer by the name of Jonathan Lu. Our app this time was going to be more for mathematics, basic vocabulary for fruits, vegetables, food items, and then they get a little bit of vocabulary with learning the sound of our language.”

He says it’s offering real learning opportunities to the student body.

“They get to see characters and avatars that have long braids and having the language accessible on the app as opposed to playing something that’s in English. It just boosts their own confidence. Being able to see themselves in these games, they’re learning along the way.”

But Cournoyer-Hogan says it’s more than just students learning from this program.

“Even then, five minutes a day on the app you’re boosting some vocabulary. You’re boosting some learning regardless. We hope that a lot of people utilize it. It’s a fun time, I enjoy playing it. I’m learning a lot, I’m not fluent – I understand the language some – but as an adult I’ve been learning from the app. It’s an app for everyone, and they’re picking it up quicker than I am.”

The app is available to download for free on Apple platforms, and developers are currently creating a port for Android devices.

Users do not need to be affiliated with a school to use the app.

 

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Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA) recently announced the appointment of Ted Wright as its new Executive Director.

Wright has brought over 25 years of extensive leadership experience within Tribal organizations and educational institutions, and has previously held numerous executive roles, including his service as the Executive Director for the Native Village of Eyak, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, and Spokane Tribe of Indians among others.

In a statement, Daniel Cornelius, chair of NAFSA’s leadership council, said: “Ted is uniquely qualified to lead NAFSA at this pivotal time. His deep understanding of Tribal Sovereignty and his proactive approach to leadership will be invaluable as we move forward with our mission to empower Tribal communities through enhanced food sovereignty.”

Wright’s immediate focus as Executive Director will be to guide NAFSA through its next phase of strategic initiatives, which includes stabilizing and deepening the understanding of its mission and increasing the impact on Tribal communities.

Wright said in a statement: “I am honored to join NAFSA and contribute to an organization that is doing such critical work for food sovereignty. I look forward to working with our communities to fortify our food systems and ensure that our tribal nations can flourish for generations to come.”

Plans for his leadership include significant recruitment efforts for new board members and organizing impactful in-person meetings scheduled for the upcoming summer and fall.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Connecticut has reopened after construction.

The museum’s organizers say it uses Westernized museum practices and Indigenizes them.

Hannah Bissett from our flagship station KNBA has more.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum opened its doors on August 11th, 1998.

It’s tribally owned and operated and, according to the museum, the largest Native-owned museum in the world.

The museum covers around 20,000 years of history.

The head of education for the museum is Nakai Clearwater Northup.

He spoke about the new improvements and the mission of the museum. 

“Typically the losers of the war don’t get to tell their stories, other people get to write their histories for them, and we get to really combat that.”

Originally, the renovations were architectural.

“We’ve redone seating in our auditoriums, we have a 300-seat auditorium where we’ve run larger programs.”

The museum was also able to improve in other ways. 

“Revamped our witness film, which talked about the Pequot war, and if you came and saw it in the past 25 years it was really grainy and it was literally actually running on film, we’ve had it digitized and it’s clear, it looks great.”

Northup says that the museum is also taking the renovations as a time to focus on repatriation and revitalization of language.

“People would donate a lot of things or they would bring them and we’d house them here. And we’re looking at a lot of things now and we are thinking ‘Well we really shouldn’t have this.’ And we have the ability to return or repatriate these items back to these communities.”

Northup says repatriation falls under four values: trust, relationship, balance, and decolonization. 

Continuing their mission, Northup says that decolonization within museum science practices is significant for them, from the way visitors can interact with exhibits to other traditions.

“And just how we start the day, we are able to participate in ceremony, we have our family tribal community here and hosting events.”

This decolonization also takes the form of – farmer’s markets, powwows, and other community-led educational programs.

Along with this, Northup says the renovations opened up the pathway for youth to learn more about the museum and what it has to offer.

“To have the next generation here being able to soak up information, and for us to have the awesome opportunity to continue to share our story – our history, so it’s a really exciting time of year.”

The museum offers virtual tours and experiences along with interactive in-person exhibitions, and in the next coming years there are plans to reinvigorate more exhibits.

 

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Opening a business can be a challenge for even the most privileged of people.

One operation in Rapid City wants to help level the playing field for people from all backgrounds, as SDPB’s C.J. Keene reports.

The Black Hills Community Loan Fund is a Native community development financial institution (CDFI) aiming to help provide financial opportunities to the historically underserved local Native community.

Barbara Schmitt is the executive director. She says real change comes to communities when economic development is put into local hands.

“We recently had a market study done on the He Sapa (Black Hills) region, and it showed the definite need for loan products as well as technical assistance to assist individuals pursuing business opportunities. Starting up businesses, expanding businesses, and by us providing those technical assistance and loan products to those individuals, they’re able to increase their quality of life.”

Schmitt says Native-owned businesses can take advantage of the tourism and arts markets in Rapid City, but the challenge often comes in establishing the groundwork. And that’s where the Community Loan Fund steps in.

However, there are some requirements for people looking to get involved with the program.

“We provide financial literacy training on an as-needed basis and we’re trying to get a schedule twice a month. They’re six-hour courses, we start from business 101, we do banking, setting up a budget – everything individuals will need to further their life. Financial literacy is key, and it is also a requirement for any of our loans we provide.”

Statistics from the US Small Business Administration deputy administrator Diliwar Syed show of the 33 million small businesses with employees nationwide – only 48,000 are Native-owned.

The Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians have preserved the tribe’s history in northern Michigan with a new book.

That history includes the violent colonization of Band’s village in the year 1900 and the legal battles that persist to this day.

Interlochen Public Radio’s Michael Livingston was shown around what used to be “Indian Village” and spoke with the tribes’ historian who helped compile the book, A Cloud Over the Land.

On the top of a hill, overlooking an icy Burt Lake, Ken Parkie walks through a small cemetery filled with a few dozen white crosses.

He scans the land, looking for signs of an old settlement.

“I was always told it was down in that area. Right down in there. Yeah, about where that valley is, back that way. That’s where I was always told it was at.”

Several of Parkie’s ancestors are buried here. Some lived in that original settlement that stood here more than a century ago.

Back then, the village had log cabins made with lumber from a nearby sawmill and was a thriving community.

Then came October 15, 1900, when a group of men including a sheriff and land speculator burned the village down with kerosene.

The book A Cloud Over the Land tells the story about how the Burt Lake Band lost their land, but also about the fight to get it back.

Even now, the band is trying to obtain federal reaffirmation, which would return the label of sovereign nation to the Northwest Peninsula on Burt Lake.

Tribal historian Deborah Richmond says she hopes the book will remind the region and the country that the Band still remains.

“Only now when we can tell our own story, and when people can hear our story, are we allowed to start healing. We would like to focus on the good parts of our culture. But it very much is a cloud over our families and over our history because we want to right the wrongs that happened to our ancestors.”

A Cloud Over the Land is available to purchase on the Burt Lake Band website.

Richmond says the book has already sold over 500 copies.

 

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The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes say Montana’s TikTok ban, if implemented, would overstep tribal sovereignty.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports the tribes filed a brief this week to join the legal battle over the ban.

The Salish and Kootenai Tribes side with opponents of the TikTok ban as the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considers the 2023 law.

A federal district court last fall threw out a ban, saying it would violate free speech rights, as well as the federal supremacy clause of the constitution.

The Tribes say it would violate the nation’s right to issue its own rules and regulations on the Flathead Reservation.

The brief also said that social media plays an outsized role in disseminating official information from tribal governments. That’s because many people lack high-speed internet at home and largely rely on their phones.

A new federal law will ban the social media app if its China-based parent company doesn’t sell the app within a year.

TikTok is suing the U.S. over that law.

@aprilmariewood1 Standing arrow Powwow in Elmo Montana #FlatheadIndianReservation ♬ original sound – April Marie Wood

The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska launched a new program to provide fresh, organic, Alaska-sourced foods to the entire Aleutian community – and to some regional partners.

KUCB’s Andy Lusk reports, organizers held a distribution trial run this spring.

At the event, Unalaskans came to the tribe’s food bank and received bags full of carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and beef — all completely free. That produce and meat came from a family farm in Palmer.

The tribe is interested in partnering with multiple providers over the course of the program, including local fishermen.

Tanaya Horne is the tribe’s COO.

She says the program is part of their ongoing wellness initiatives, and aims to support Alaska farmers by offering their products to locals looking for high-quality, minimally processed foods.

“For Alaska Native people, for American Indian people, our love language is food. That is how we show that we want to be partners with you, and we want to show you that we care about you.”

The project first developed last spring, when the Qawalangin Tribe met with USDA representatives at an economic summit.

The tribe was ultimately awarded over $2 million for the project through the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Program.

The project came together in partnership with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, who helped facilitate rollout of produce and meat to tribal organizations across the Aleutian Islands region.

 

Anfesia Tutiakoff is the Qawalangin Tribe’s cultural director. She hopes the program can dovetail with some of the foods already available in Unalaska, including local herbs.

“The more that we’re able to harvest our natural foods on-island, and use natural foods from these farmers, you’re getting less and less processed foods the more that we do these kinds of programs.”

Tribal services manager Marie Schomer says that during the trial run, around 5,000 pounds of food arrived and was distributed to the community.

“I love doing it, personally, because a lot of families out here are struggling [with] the cost of food. And if you’re able to give them a couple bags of fresh produce and meat, it’s very helpful.”

The cost of food in Alaska is famously high and Unalaska is no exception.

Groceries are barged into the island and take longer to deliver than to stores in the lower 48.

Organizers expect the program to continue throughout the next two years, working in conjunction with other regional tribal organizations’ food security initiatives.

In Unalaska, there are no income restrictions to participation.

Anyone is welcome to take food whether they are a member of the Qawalangin Tribe or not.

Horne says she expects the program to do bi-weekly food bank events by the summer.

 

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The Chickasaw Nation is pooling its many resources to aid the cities of Sulphur and Marietta, Okla. in the aftermath of the fatal April 27 storm system that ravaged both communities.

First responders and Chickawaw Nation Lighthorse Police have been on-site assisting with search and rescue efforts, assessing damage, and aiding in unsafe areas.

In a statement, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said: “Our hearts go out to all of the individuals and families affected by this tragic and destructive storm. We are actively collaborating with local authorities and emergency management agencies in relief efforts and will be there to assist our employees, neighbors and friends.”

The storm system caused four fatalities in Oklahoma, two being in the Chickasaw Nation.

Hundreds of people were also injured throughout the state, and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged.

As high school and college students plan for their graduations, some Native students could face resistance for wanting to wear tribal regalia with their caps and gowns.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel has more.

For Native communities, an eagle feather is a symbol of wisdom and strength, and given in times of great honor, like a graduation.

Every spring, however, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) hears from multiple students who were not allowed to wear an eagle feather or other tribal regalia, said Morgan Saunders, a staff attorney with the Colorado-based law group.

Saunder said parents often break down in tears when they discuss their child being denied their tribal identity.

“For many families, the wearing of the eagle feather is more important than the diploma. Because it’s something that’s given at this important time in their child’s life – they’re transitioning, often, into adulthood.”

According to NARF, 14 states have laws to protect Native students’ right to wear religious and cultural regalia at graduation ceremonies.

In recent years, several Mountain West states have passed legislation protecting that right.

In 2023, Nevada and Colorado each passed a law that allows students to wear tribal, religious, or cultural regalia for graduations.

Colorado’s legislation dictates that a student must be registered with a tribe or have a Native relative.

Similar laws were established in Utah in 2022 and in Arizona in 2021.

Saunders said families in states without those protections should review their school district’s policies, and request dress code accommodations as early as possible.

On Monday, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-CA) called upon Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA) to deliver the first land acknowledgement to recognize area tribes on whose lands the state Capitol stands prior to opening of an assembly floor session at the California Session.

“I was moved by the Speaker’s request to perform a land acknowledgement. Tribes have always populated this state. We had no boundaries, and we resided on our long-held homelands until Europeans and settlers immigrated to what is now known as California. To acknowledge the first Stewards of the land is an important step toward healing between the state an Tribes.”

Asm. Ramos proudly represents the 45th Assembly district.

He is the first and only California Native American serving in the state’s legislature.

Watch The Land Acknowledgement

 

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Athletic great Jim Thorpe has been awarded the Presidential Medal of freedom posthumously.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors.

WATCH the Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony

James Francis Thorpe was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist – and a member of the Sac and Fox Nation.

Thorpe was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the U.S. in the Olympics.

He won two Olympic gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics and was also a professional football, baseball, and basketball player.

He died in 1953 at the age of 65.

Among the recipients were former Vice President Al Gore and Opal Lee, an educator and activist known for her efforts to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday.

The medals were presented by President Joe Biden at the White House last week.

The Board of Trustees with the Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), located in Juneau, Alaska, recently appointed a new member to help lead the nonprofit’s programs.

Tlingit clinical community psychologist Aandachjoon Alicia Marvin of Anchorage will fill the seat, which was recently vacated by longtime trustee Jeane Breinig.

Marvin said in a statement: “I will be using my training in community work and psychology to contribute to the important work of SHI. I am honored to serve on the board of trustees as I find deep meaning in community service.”

Marvin belongs to the Raven Moiety clan and the Whale House.

SHI President Rosita Worl said she looks forward to Marvin’s contributions and expressed gratitude for her service of Breinig, who is Haida and was recently elected to serve as president of the Kasaan village corporation Kavilco Inc.

SHI is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

The Sitka Tlingit Clan Houses in southeast Alaska was recently put on a list of the most endangered historic places in America.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation revealed this week its 2024 list, an annual ranking that spotlights significant sites of American history that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.

The list also includes the Hudson-Athens lighthouse in Athens, N.Y., Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, Calif., and the Cindy Walker House in Mexia, Texas.

In a statement, Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said: “This year’s Most Endangered Historic Places list shows how our collective idea of American History has expanded in recent years, along with our ideas about which places are worth saving.”

The list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places debuted in 1988 and has proven to be a highly effective tool for shining a light on the issue.

Some tribal nations in the U.S. have long traditions of using wildland fire for a number of purposes, like subsistence, resource management, and ceremonial activities.

A new paper tries to quantify the scale of such cultural burning in the ancestral territory of a Northern California Tribe.

Researchers worked in close collaboration with members of the Karuk Tribe and their natural resources department.

On roughly 650,000 acre swath of the Karuk Ancestral territory, the authors found that nearly 7,000 fires burning some 15% of that acreage were set annually.

Co-author Christopher Dunn is a professor at Oregon State University.

“It really offers us a foundation of what could be, probably, a foundation of what should be, and at least realization that the world can be different and things can be done differently, and we can move in that direction.”

Among the many recommendations to address the wildfire crisis from a major federal commission’s report last year was to dramatically increase the amount of beneficial fire, including cultural burning.

 

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Events took place across the country over the weekend to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP).

Some events are continuing Monday, including a walk hosted by the Yurok Tribe in California.

The tribe has declared an emergency on its reservation in response to disproportionate numbers of MMIP.

The Yurok Tribe works year-round on the issue.

Earlier this year, the tribe co-hosted a summit in Sacramento and a march around the California State Capitol.

Phillip Williams is a Yurok Tribal council member.

“This issue, you know, we were dealing with this, we’re having some of our people being kidnapped, and we had a rash of murders that showed up on our reservation, people that I know. And we all agreed we had to do something about it.”

One of those things was creating the summit.

“I think one of the biggest effectiveness of this summit is that all us Indn people get together. And so we’re trying to raise awareness and say we’re here, and we need to be valued, our lives need to valued and we need opportunities to succeed.”

Danielle Vigil-Masten is an advocate and works on MMIP issues with North Coast California communities.

She joined families, tribal leaders, law enforcement and others at the summit saying it’s vital to continue to raise awareness.

“If we don’t talk about these cases and share their stories and keep it alive, then it’s like it just goes away. It’s like it doesn’t exist and people out of sight, out of mind, you know. That’s why we put billboards up. That’s why we educate people. That’s why we put signs everywhere. Back in the old days, they used to have the milk cartons that everyone would see when they ate cereal. Now it’s Facebook. And so, we just try to get that out there. These, it’s these types of events are really important.”

Raising awareness of MMIP includes educating policy makers about the history of California Native Americans and the impacts of colonization, says Morning Star Gali, director of Indigenous Justice.

“We’re right here at the state Capitol, where the state of California was founded on the state sanctioned murder and genocide of California Native peoples. Close by is the what is known as Sutter’s Fort, where it was our Miwok, and tribal peoples were enslaved there, they were held captive…recognizing the history of California and how that still continues to affect us today.”

Officials say MMIP is going in the wrong direction in the state with cases going up instead of down, which is concerning tribal leaders who vow to continue to raise awareness and seek solutions.

Joseph L. James is chairman of the Yurok Tribe.

“California is, you know, unfortunately, we are the fifth largest cases of MMIP in the nation. We’re trying to say no more, lawmakers. Hear us, see us, not on our watch, not on California’s watch, not on Indigenous watch. There’s a crisis in California, but it’s not a California issue. This is a nation issue. And we’re trying to ring that bell by bringing them to the table.”

Leaders and advocates say there is still much work to do, including healing for families and tribal communities.

This story is a collaboration with First Nations Experience Television with support from the Public Welfare Foundation.

The U.S. Justice Department recognized May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.

In recognition, Attorney General Merrick Garland said there is much more work to do by the agency to tackle MMIP and human trafficking in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

In a statement, he said the day challenged the Justice Department to double down on efforts and be true partners with Tribal communities.

The agency highlighted a MMIP outreach program with Assistant U.S. Attorneys and coordinators to assist with unresolved cases and related crimes, promote communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, Tribal, local, and state law enforcement.

 

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Tribes in Nevada are seeking the designation of a new national monument in east central Nevada.

They say it holds cultural and spiritual significance, including being a valley where Indigenous people suffered several massacres.

Alex Gonzalez has more.

Alvin Marques, chairman of the Ely Shoshone Tribe, explained Bahsahwahbee was a place of religious gatherings, healing ceremonies, and celebrations, which made it a target for settlers who expanded into Indigenous “Newe territories” of the Western Shoshone Tribe.

Marques said the federal government now has the chance to stand with tribes and honor Bahsahwahbee.

“It, in the past, was a place of celebration and became a place of mourning. It means enough to me that it needs to be protected forever.”

He pointed out before the tragedies, Bahsahwahbee was a place of happiness and should be remembered for both the good and bad.

He added people from across the Great Basin still go to the area to visit their ancestors, pray and hold ceremonies.

Three tribes are collecting signatures with the goal of getting Bahsahwahbee designated as a national monument.

“Time is running out, so we need action now. It’s time for the federal government and our representatives to center our tribes and our history, and do the right thing.”

He added a national monument designation within the National Park System also would help familiarize more people with the Bahsahwahbee story.

Those opposed to the monument recognition argued Nevada already has too much public land where uses are restricted, but proponents argue this is false.

After the recent Statewide Native Youth Games in Anchorage, students returned home to show off their medals for traditional games like the Two-Foot High Kick and the Kneel Jump.

There were also seal calls, which could be heard throughout the stadium full of people at various times at the games.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA sought out the source of these sounds, a tradition that is as old as the games themselves.

The sound of enthusiastic crowds often fills the air at the Alaska Airlines Center, but at the Native Youth Games you hear that and more.

Although Samuel Mecham perfected the seal call during seal hunts in his hometown of Unalakleet, he’s happy to belt it out across a sea of people.

“Oh, it’s fun. It gets everybody riled up. And it gets people’s attention. And also, it’s like our way of shouting and cheering on your teammate. So like at a track meet, you’d yell at your temmates. Right? You’d yell their name and say keep on going. But here you would do a seal call.”

As the master of ceremonies at the Native Youth Games, Marjorie Tahbone uses the seal call to get athletes pumped up.

“You start off with a low sound, like Ooh-ooh. And then you learn how to make a high sound – ‘Ooht’. And then you crack your voice. So Ooh-oot. And then you figure out how to do it, and eventually you’re able to go ‘Ooh-oot’ real easy.”

Tahbone says seals are naturally curious creatures.

Traditionally, hunters used the call to distract them.

“The hunters would have to mimic a seal and get as close as they could, close enough where they could harpoon it.”

The seal call was also used to signal hunter success – a joyful sound that Tahbone says helps to bring the sounds of land and sea into the city.

Joey Cross’s specialty is the Raven call.

“Organize your throat, your mouth in a certain way. (Trilling sound) You hear that. It’s that (Raven Sound).”

Also from his seat in the stadium, you can hear his call of the loon.

“I learned this from a friend (Loon Sound). By doing that I learned I could make it smaller. Also a little whistle (whistle sound).”

The sounds from villages near and far add excitement to games like the seal hop, where athletes race across the stadium in a push up position hopping as far as they can hop.

Caelynn Carter from the Mat-Su School District is excited she has finally mastered the seal call.

“I just figured it out today and I haven’t stopped. It’s a great way to cheer someone on. It’s a lot cooler than clapping. (Seal call) ”

The games played here were traditionally used to build endurance for hunting and fishing in the extreme cold, but Marjorie Tahbone says they have their use in today’s world, especially the seal call.

“When you’re walking down the aisle of Walmart and you hear a Oot, other people will start doing it three aisles down. If you can’t find me, seal call and we’ll find each other.”

So if you hear that sound in the store…. you’ll know what it means.

Listen to the longer KNBA version of the seal call story here:

 

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The National Native Boarding School Healing Coalition will be sending teams to Minneapolis this month to collect stories from boarding school survivors.

As KNBA’s Rhonda McBride reports, they recently spent a week in Anchorage to listen and learn.

About 20 people came to the Alaska Native Heritage Center to share their stories about boarding school abuse, some for the very first time.

Denise Lajimodiere is one of the oral historians for this project, and says survivors ask her why, after all these years, they are ready to talk.

“And they said, I don’t know why I’m telling you. And I said, because we asked.”

Lajimodiere has heard more than a hundred different stories and bits and pieces of Jim Labelle’s story, when he served on the Healing Coalition’s board.

Now, she will document his entire story.

“I’m glad that he will get his story get reported formally – that his kids and grandkids and anybody that wants to know about what happened to us will be able to access his story.”

A story about how he was taken away from his family when he was eight years old, along with his younger brother, and sent to the Wrangell Institute in Southeast Alaska, where children were physically and sexually abused.

LaBelle first disclosed what happened about twenty years ago. But back then, he wasn’t always believed.

“A lot of people saying, including some of our own Native people saying, ‘That happened a long time ago, get over it. So how do you get over losing ties to your family. How do you get over losing your identity?’”

But LaBelle kept telling the story, so that others could tell their stories. Indigenous researchers like Benjamin Jacuk calls boarding school abuse one of America’s best kept secrets.

“In order to heal, we need to know what we’re healing from.”

LaBelle says his story is one of many.

“I’m hoping my story, collectively with all the other stories that are gathered together, will go into the future so that future historians, researchers and policy makers can see the harm that was done.”

Jim LaBelle believes, for many Native families, boarding schools are the root cause of intergenerational trauma, homelessness and Alaska’s high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Personally, he knows of boarding school students, who later wound up on the streets of Anchorage and died.

Project leaders call Jim Labelle’s story a gift – one that was given at great cost, that will be honored and respected in a permanent collection of oral histories at the nation’s capital. LaBelle and all the other boarding school survivors will be offered emotional support in the coming weeks, should they need it.

There will also be regular check-ins.

“These kinds of things are never the end. They’re the beginning – the beginning of a new future for all of Alaska Native peoples.”

Six tribes that use water from the Colorado River have signed an agreement with the river’s Upper Basin states.

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico are promising to work together on sharing the shrinking river in the future.

KUNC’s Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Tribal leaders say it’s a good step since Indigenous people have long been excluded from talks about managing the river.

Avery Tafoya is a councilmember with the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

“It does open the door for all of us to have our voices heard and to be at the decision making table. And I do believe it’s going to have an impact.”

The new alliance comes amid contentious talks about the future of the Colorado River.

More than half of the thirty tribes that use its water have co-signed a letter asking the federal government for better representation going forward.

California tribes are among those applauding the Biden administration’s announcement that President Joe Biden will use his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California.

The actions will protect nearly 120,000 acres.

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in Northern California has a connection to the Berryessa Snow Mountain monument, where ceremonies are practiced and sites were once trading routes.

Tribal chairman Anthony Roberts, in a statement, thanked the president for the expansion.

In Southern California, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians President Rudy Ortega Jr. also thanked Biden for the expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains monument saying his people have long cared for the area.

Other California tribes are seeking additional designations in the state.

 

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