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President Joe Biden mentioned tribal communities and Native Americans during his State of the Union Thursday night as he highlighted key issues.

He mentioned tribes when talking about his infrastructure law creating projects across the U.S. including modernizing roads, addressing clean drinking water, and expanding broadband.

“Providing affordable, affordable high speed internet for every American no matter where you live. Urban, suburban, and rural communities — in red states and blue. Record investments in tribal communities.”

President Biden later mentioned Native people when he touched on immigration.

“I know who we are as Americans. We are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new. Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years. Home to people from every place on Earth.”

Native people at the address included Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, a guest of First Lady Jill Biden; Navajo uranium workers advocate Phil Harrison, a guest of U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM); Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna), and Native U.S. lawmakers.

Watch parties are being planned across the country, including in tribal communities, for Sunday’s Academy Awards, which will include Indigenous representation, as KNBA’s Jill Fratis reports.

There’s much anticipation and excitement among Indigenous people who are cheering on three Indigenous people nominated in different categories this year.

Lily Gladstone (Blackfeet and Nez Perce) is up for Best Actress for her role as Mollie Burkhart in the film Killers of the Flower Moon. Also, nominated for awards for their contributions to the film are Scott George (Osage), who composed Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People), which is up for best song, and Robbie Robertson (Mohawk and Cayuga), nominated for best score.

Killers of the Flower Moon investigates the murders of dozens of Osage people in Oklahoma in the 1920s for oil money.

Gladstone recently became the first Native American to win a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.

An award she dedicated to Native youth.

Gladstone also took home an honor from the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Indigenous people working in the film and television industry are applauding Gladstone’s achievements and the other Oscar nominations.

Ariel Tweto, an Inupiaq from Unalakleet, is a television personality, producer and actress.

Tweto says Gladstone winning the awards, and being up for an Oscar is paving way for other Indigenous actors.

“Her being nominated and winning a bunch of these awards already is paving the pathway for people like me who are in the industry. We need someone to look up to, even though she’s just a year older than me I see her as such a trailblazer and role model.”

She says Killers of the Flower Moon is helping to highlight the work both on and off the screen by Indigenous people in the film and television industry.

“It’s like proving to people that people are interested in these types of stories. Like writers, directors, they’re watching these types of movies, they care about people like us. And they see our faces onscreen and Native people see people that look like them onscreen and now they’re like they’re living their dream, our stories, telling our stories. Yeah I think it’s super cool that there are people outside of Indigenous culture and outside of the Native communities that they care about us.”

Tweto will be anticipating the news after the awards as she’ll be in a cabin with no electricity.

“I’ll be like snowboarding or playing somewhere or in our cabin in Alaska. So, good luck Lily and Killers of the Flower Moon. I’m rooting for you!”

Watch parties taking place in tribal communities include the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and a Navajo community in New Mexico.

The Indigenous organization IllumiNative has a downloadable Oscars Watch Party Kit.

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Part of Michigan’s economic development arm is considering a $50 million grant for a proposed copper mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Opponents voiced their concerns at a recent board meeting.

Interlochen Public Radio’s Ellie Katz has more.

The Copperwood mine would extract copper from a deposit at the edge of Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains State Park in the western U.P.

Critics are concerned about environmental risks.

Nichole Keway Biber is a tribal citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands.

“It’s just a bad strategy to double down on destruction and contamination at this time.”

The company, on the other hand, promises 380 new jobs, which proponents say would bring much-needed investment and development to a struggling rural economy.

Quentin Messer Jr., head of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, says the board will weigh comments from both sides – and other economic considerations.

“What’s the cost of inaction? What happens to a community if you decide not to invest?”

He says there’s no specific timeline for a decision.

Bearhat Mountain and Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park. (Photo: Andrew Parlette / Flickr)

Glacier National Park officials are studying the return of free-roaming bison.

The park received nearly $2 million in federal funding to advance projects including the reintroduction efforts started by the Blackfeet Nation.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports.  

Glacier will study how deer and elk use the park for grazing before bison return to the landscape.  The park will also try to estimate herd sizes. That information will help researchers understand the impact of reintroducing bison.

The Blackfeet Nation last year released about two dozen animals along the border of the park and the herd is expected to move into Glacier as it grows.

The federal funds will also support efforts to inventory cultural resources such as ancient camp sites impacted by climate change. Funding will go toward whitebark pine restoration as well.

Courtesy NM Indigenous Youth Council / Instagram

The New Mexico Indian Affairs Department on Wednesday announced efforts to address missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state.

The department is launching a public awareness campaign about MMIP, addressing behavioral health and suicide prevention – and highlighting the state’s Indigenous Youth Council.

Messages will appear on billboards, websites, video, radio, and social media.

The Kinship Pledge campaign was created through several years of community health work by the youth council.

IYC member Alysia Coriz says the campaign is authentic to Indigenous young people, and she says it’s received positive feedback.

The campaign includes 56 billboards with an emphasis in cities and locations with large Indigenous populations.

The web and digital promos will be featured on screens and available for mobile devices.

Courtesy Utah Food Bank

The Utah Food Bank is expanding in San Juan County and announced this week the opening of two new pantries to support residents on the Navajo Nation.

Alex Gonzalez reports.

President and CEO Ginette Bott says the new pantries are intended to help enhance food accessibility, as residents often have to drive to places off the Navajo Nation.

“While there are a couple of small pantries in the area of San Juan County in different locations, they still weren’t big enough or still couldn’t be opened every single day. People here will have to drive to Cortez or to Moab, it’s not like you can jump in your car and run a couple blocks and grab a gallon of milk.”

Bott adds the pantries learned more about Navajo diet and preferences, while also aiming to increase available fresh healthy foods.

One pantry is expected to open in the next few days, while the other one needs more time to tie up some loose ends.

According to Utah Food Bank, San Juan County residents face higher rates of hunger compared with the rest of the state, 17% of residents report food insecurity, compared with 10% statewide.

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Tuesday’s big primary day in the U.S. had victories across the country for both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump leading to a likely rematch in November.

While Super Tuesday is over, attempts to boost voter turnout among Native people are underway, including in Wisconsin.

Chuck Quirmbach of station WUWM in Milwaukee reports, a new mural is part of get out the vote efforts.

The mural now hangs outside the Gerald Ignace Indian Health Center in Milwaukee.

The painting features a woman in a jingle dress standing near seven children,  and reads “Vote for Our 7^th Generation”.

At a dedication ceremony, Ho-Chunk artist Christopher Sweet said every election is important.

“And this year, every vote is critical. When I was painting this mural, I thought about my children’s futures. But it does not end there. Let’s think about all of our future generations.”

The celebration of the mural is just the start of get out the vote  collaborations this year in Wisconsin, which is a presidential battleground state, and there is  divided control of state government.

Anne Egan-Waukau of the group Wisconsin Native Vote is a member of the Menominee Nation.

She says if there is voter apathy about the race for president, she hasn’t experienced it.

“You know, when I’m out talking to my people, I hear a lot of enthusiasm. Because they do understand climate change. Do you remember when the Canadian fires were going?  We had people literally sick. I got sick down here. But our people see it and they really know Mother Earth needs out help. And by voting, they can help. I even hear it from little kids. I’ve had high school kids say, ‘When I turn 18, I’m going to come back to you at a pow-wow, and you’re going to register me,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay!'”

Egan-Waukau says there are plans to work with the Milwaukee Public Schools to register more 18 year-old students to vote.

Other get out the vote efforts are planned at tribal communities in Northern Wisconsin.

There are roughly 70,000 Native Americans of voting age in the state.

The last two presidential contests in Wisconsin were decided by only about 20,000 votes.

Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) says the state will not take over law enforcement services on the Flathead Reservation.

That’s in response to Lake County saying it’s pulling out a long-standing agreement to do that work.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton has more.

It’s unclear who will take over felony law enforcement oversight following Gov. Gianforte’s letter saying the state can’t afford it.

Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker says the letter raises more questions than answers.

“Who had jurisdiction? Does the county have, does the state have it, does the feds have it? That’s a question that’s on people’s minds, and we don’t have an answer to it.”

In the 1960s, the federal government, the state, Lake County, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) all signed onto a deal called public law 280.

The deal said Lake County would jail and prosecute people for felony crimes committed on the reservation.But Lake County last year announced it’s pulling out because it can’t afford the roughly $4 million it costs to oversee felony jurisdiction.

Now, Gov. Gianforte’s office says the state also plans to pull out of the agreement.

Gov. Gianforte says he is initiating a process to give felony jurisdiction to the federal government.

It’s unclear whether he can do that on his own or needs buy in from state lawmakers. It’s also unclear whether the federal government will agree to take over.

The CSKT issued a letter saying it will continue to work with the county and the state to find a path forward.

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A national center for Native radio and TV broadcasters is leading an effort to establish an alert code for missing and endangered adults.

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

In 2022, more than 10,000 Indigenous people were reported missing to the FBI.

That’s a higher rate of disappearance than the general population.

That’s why Native Public Media is petitioning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create the Missing and Endangered Persons event code, similar to what the Amber Alert is for missing children.

Loris Taylor is the CEO of Native Public Media and a member of Arizona’s Hopi Nation.

“Native Americans face a crisis, we’re three times more likely to experience violent crime. And there’s been a wave of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls for a very long time.”

She says a dedicated national alert would help law enforcement and communities locate these individuals.

On March 14, the FCC will discuss the proposed alert code.

If approved, a public comment period on its proposed rules would follow.

The Mountain West News Bureau distributes some of its stories through Native Public Media.

In California, a notification system for Native people marked its one-year implementation in January.

The Feather Alert is used to notify the public and law enforcement about missing Native Americans, especially women and girls.

Tribal leaders, law enforcement, and California state lawmakers are reviewing the program for more effective use.

Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA) authored legislation creating the alert.

He says it’s a great tool.

Asm. Ramos says, in its first year, the notification system had some positive results, but it needs some tweaks.

“The Feather Alert follows the AMBER Alert here in the state of California. And one of the complexities of it is now you include tribal governments into the component. So we created the law. It’s the first year that it went through. We understand that there was five different times that it was requested to be implemented. Three of those were denied. Two of them were implemented. Those two that were implemented, those individuals were found and brought back home safely.”

There are questions surrounding why the other three were not implemented.

Asm. Ramos says those questions are being raised with the California Highway Patrol, which administers the system.

“Working with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), who’s open, the Commissioner Duret, is open to criticism, open to make it a finer piece of arsenal for those to bring back the missing.”

A bill to make changes to the Feather Alert with suggestions from tribes and law enforcement is included in a package of bills Asm. Ramos recently announced for 2024.

“And it’s unique because there’s a lot of bills that pass in the California State Legislature that never get brought back up to fine tune them. Again, Indian people are leading the way. After a year, we’re already bringing this bill back up to fine tune it. I think we’re leading the way of how some other bills could be fine tuned that affect California’s people.”

Asm. Ramos says part of the challenge with the Feather Alert is making the general public aware of it and bridging communication gaps among law enforcement agencies and tribes.

The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people has been one of his priorities since Asm. Ramos was elected in 2018 becoming the first California Native American to serve in the state legislature.

This story is a collaboration with First Nations Experience Television with support from the Public Welfare Foundation, committed to advancing transformative youth and criminal justice reform.

The virtual panel “Accelerating Empowerment of Indigenous Women and Girls” is planned for March 12 to address violence against Indigenous women in the Americas.

It will feature speakers from Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, and the U.S.

It’s co-sponsored by a number of Indigenous organizations.

This event is part of the NGO-CSW Forum during the 68th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

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Apache Stronghold, a coalition of Apache people, other Native people, and non-Native allies, is vowing to continue to fight to protect a sacred site in Arizona.

This, after a federal court blow to the group’s effort to protect Oak Flat from mining.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 6 to 5 in Apache Stronghold v. United States, that the federal government can transfer Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a foreign-owned mining company.

The group hoped to stop the copper mine project by preventing the federal government from transferring the land saying the project violates religious freedom. The site is where Apache religious practices take place.

In a statement after the decision Friday, Dr. Wendsler Nosie of the Apache Stronghold said the ruling targets the spiritual lifeblood of his people, but it will not stop their struggle to save Oak Flat, and he vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The lawsuit was filed in 2021.

The Ninth Circuit ruled that the mine is not subject to federal laws protecting religious freedom.

Becket law firm, which is representing Apache Stronghold, said the decision was by a bare majority, with five judges disagreeing saying the judges said the decision misreads precedent and uniquely harms Native American religious exercise.

In a statement, Resolution Copper welcomed the ruling and said the project will help supply copper to the U.S., create jobs, and boost Arizona’s economy.

Apache Stronghold has 90 days to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Eastern Shoshone Tribe has received ten bison from Yellowstone National Park.

Wyoming Public Radio’s Olivia Weitz reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

The Eastern Shoshone tribe received a family group from the bison conservation transfer program. Since the transfer program got started in 2019, the tribe has received a total of 15 Yellowstone bison. Eastern Shoshone tribal member Jason Baldes manages the tribe’s herd.

“The plans are to continue to grow the population and change land use so they have a place to exist and are protected under tribal law. This is a batch of animals that is very important because of their genetics, and lineage and descendancy,” he said.

Baldes says the tribe’s herd size is now 98 animals with bison also coming from other sources besides Yellowstone.

https://www.facebook.com/shoshonebuffalo/videos/1038533400776738

Bloom Communications in Alaska, is helping companies that want to do work with Indigenous communities with an emphasis on understanding cultural differences, bridging cultural gaps, and fueling collaboration.

Hannah Bissett from our flagship station KNBA has more about corporate culture camps recently started in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Based in Fairbanks, Bloom Communications was founded five years ago by Sharleen Osbloom.

“Because of the misunderstandings and, really lack of knowledge from non-Native people about Alaska Native people, culture, how life is like in rural Alaska and therefore I created the corporate culture camps.”

She says that the camps could aid businesses in understanding the cultural nuances and norms one might expect in Indigenous communities in Alaska. The workshops also emphasize education in the complex network of corporations and businesses that impact Alaska Native people.

The training centers on the history, geographical locations, and their impacts on subsistence. The training is in-person and is two days in total.

“I created the sessions to be very interactive so that those that attend will have an experiential learning experience.”

Osbloom says it’s also important to understand communication challenges in rural communities.

“You may not always get someone on the phone because the phones don’t always work in rural Alaska. If you want to send a large document to someone by email, they may or may not receive it because of the amount of data it takes.”

Beyond the numbers, she says there’s something more important for urban companies to understand, how to build relationships.

“Try to make positive long-lasting connections with Alaska Native people and different organizations and companies. And so do so in a respectful and collaborative manner.”

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In the aftermath of Brian Smith’s Anchorage murder trial, there are mixed emotions for the families and advocates of the two Alaska Native women he killed.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports, the trial may be over but the need for change remains.

It took the jury less than two hours to convict Brian Smith on all 14 counts in the deaths of Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk.

Both women were from small coastal villages.

They battled addiction and struggled to survive on the streets of Anchorage – vulnerabilities, prosecutors say, Smith preyed upon.

Abouchuk’s sister Margie Lestenkoff says the unusually quick verdict came as a relief.

“It was pretty hard on all of us, but we tried to be strong in our hearts, but it still it hurts a lot. But we’re happy that the trial went through and all the evidence were found.”

Evidence that was overwhelming, much of it focused on an SD card with footage that gave police the key to the case.

It was labeled “Homicide at midtown Marriot,” turned in by a sex worker, who stole the killer’s cell phone and copied footage of Kathleen Henry’s last tortured moments alive.

Only the jury, attorneys, and court staff saw the footage, but everyone in the whole room heard the sound.Golda Ingram, an advocate for Victims for Justice, said nothing in her experience prepared her for the trauma.

“It was just sitting there, hearing the gasping for air – and, ‘You die. You live.’ It’s like he’s sitting there, and he’s proud of listening what he did. That was kind of a wake-up moment for me.”

But Ingram said it was healing to spend time with the Abouchuk family, as they quietly supported each other.

She said their kindness and perseverance helped to restore the dignity of the victims.

Lestenkof says it was only fitting.

“Veronica was a real nice person. She never cussed, didn’t have a mean bone in her soul.”

Abouchuk’s daughter Kristy Grimaldi says her mother’s troubles began when she was molested by a priest as a child.

“I learned that much older, but after that I looked at my mother very differently, (with) understanding and compassion for her.”

Grimaldi’s younger brother Sean Hinson says, all too often, Native families have loved ones gone missing and murdered.

“We’re one piece of that puzzle. Everyone has their own piece. You never know what someone is going through and what baggage they’re carrying.”

Advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People say the deaths of the two women forced the community to confront the horror of racial violence.

The next step, they say, is to do something about it.

The 1,000-mile race to Nome officially gets underway in Willow on Sunday.

Last year, the top three finishers were all Alaska Native.

AFN keynote speaker Ryan Redington.

Ryan Redington, an Inupiat with roots in Unalakleet, is the defending champ. His grandfather, Joe Redington, was one of the founders of the Iditarod.

Also returning is Pete Kaiser, a Yup’ik from Bethel who took first place in 2019.

Last year’s third place finisher Richie Diehl, an Athabascan from Aniak, did not enter this year’s Iditarod, although he’s been helping Kaiser with his team.

The race alternates between a southern and northern route.

This year, 38 mushers are set to run the northern route.

The race in recent years has averaged less than nine days to finish.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced funding for projects on tribal lands, during her remarks at the Tribal Clean Energy Summit held this week in California, as the Mountain West News Bureau reports.

Some include solar projects with the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe in the Southwest – and a hydro-solar project with the Yakama Nation in Washington state, where solar panels will be positioned over irrigation canals preserving environmental and cultural resources.

Granholm announced more than $200 million in funding for 12 tribal projects.

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The Navajo Nation has publicly released a proposed agreement to settle water rights claims in Arizona.

The proposed settlement is close to completion with the U.S., Arizona, the Hopi Tribe, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and parties to the Little Colorado River.

Claims also include the Colorado River Upper Basin, the Colorado River Lower Basin, the Gila River Basin, and groundwater.

The Navajo Nation held a public education forum Wednesday night on the radio, which was also streamed online.

Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch says the tribe is providing advanced information about the proposed settlement to Navajo people in the interest of transparency.

“The Nation has tried to settle its Arizona water rights in various different capacities in the past for about three decades. And we now are excited to share with you that we’re on the verge of a final settlement for the Nation’s comprehensive water rights in the state of Arizona. In the recent past, in particular, a lot of the discussion has focused on the Little Colorado River Basin and we haven’t had as much discussion about the Upper Basin, the full extent of the Lower Basin, or the Gila River Basin water rights of the Nations. We are still in negotiations.”

Navajo officials say once the settlement is final, which is expected in early March, legislation will be introduced to the Navajo Nation Council for approval.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren says the Nation’s primary objective is to affirm and quantify their rights to water in Arizona and secure funding to build much needed water delivery infrastructure on the Navajo Nation.

In April, the tribe established a team to work on the settlement.

More than a dozen meetings are planned to be held in Arizona communities in the next few weeks to discuss the proposed settlement agreement.

Photo: Jaida Grey Eagle / Arts Midwest

A Minnesota organization is getting a baby food product out to consumers.

The ingredients and the packaging are designed to appeal to parents of Indigenous babies.

Mike Moen reports.

The Indigenous Peoples Task Force is trying to hit reset on the unhealthy diet European colonizers forced upon Native American populations.

The first jars of Indigi-Baby food were released in 2023, providing families with a wholesome and sustainable alternative to commercial products.

The group’s executive director Sharon Day says they want these youngsters to start their lives with a diet more consistent with what their tribal ancestors consumed.

“The wild rice, the blueberries – these are all ingredients and produce from North America, Indigenous to this land – the same way we are. ”

The ingredients are grown locally, using heirloom seeds and methods that forgo the extractive approach of industrial agriculture.

The IPTF markets these products using glass jars featuring an Indigenous baby on the label because, Day says, that helps with Native representation in retail sales, while also avoiding plastic pouches that might expose the child to toxic chemicals.

While some of these strategies might boost production expenses, Day says it’s worth it to help reverse longstanding chronic health issues within Native communities.

“The diseases that we have, that we’re dying from are diabetes, stroke and degenerative heart disease – and these are all caused by our diet. ”

In distributing the first jars of Indigi-Baby, the IPTF prioritized community health clinics and food shelves, in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Project officials add that grocers are asking when they can stock these products, which may start appearing on regular store shelves as production capacity increases.

This story is a collaboration with original reporting by Jay Gabler for Arts Midwest.

Scott George and the Osage Singers will perform live at the Oscars the song “Wahzhazhe” (A Song For My People) from the film Killers of the Flower Moon.

The song is nominated for an Oscar.

The awards ceremony takes place Sunday, March 10 on ABC.

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Research shows that westerners will face more days of unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke.

And there’s growing recognition that smoke doesn’t just affect the air we breathe outside – it often creeps indoors.

A new grant could bolster some tribal buildings against smoke.

Boise State Public Radio’s Rachel Cohen reports from Idaho for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Last August, a wildfire burned just minutes away from the Clearwater Memorial Library in Orofino.

It ended up destroying six houses.

Library director Jessica Long says some families were sheltering across the street and came over to read books and play games.

“Having a place that has clean air and is safe for them and their kids. I think that was important.”

Black smoke clouded the air.

Long set up a DIY air filter inside.

Soon, the library will become even more of a refuge.

The Nez Perce Tribe was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to better protect community buildings from wildfire smoke.

Julie Simpson coordinates the tribe’s air quality program.

“People are not going to necessarily go to a newly established location during a wildfire smoke event. They will want to stay in their own homes, or they’re going to want to go to a regular public place.”

The grant will go toward deploying air filters, setting up air monitoring, and renovating HVAC systems in 16 buildings on the reservation, including libraries like in Orofino, community centers, and youth centers.

Cutthroat trout. (Photo: Bryant Olsen / Flickr)

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has come to an historic agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration to address how dams in the Columbia Basin have affected fish populations on the tribe’s northern Idaho reservation.

Spokane Public Radio’s Steve Jackson has more.

The tribe and the Bonneville agency have been in discussions for several years related to challenges in the way the dams have been managed and how the historic fisheries in the region have been hurt.

Under the agreement, the BPA will help provide $10 million per year for restoring stream habitat for salmon runs and $45 million for two fish hatcheries.

One hatchery will be on Hangman Creek for salmon stock; the other on Lake Coeur d’Alene for cutthroat trout.

Tyrel Stevenson, the tribe’s legislative director, says the real game changer is the federal government’s willingness to work with the tribes to try to restore salmon runs.

“We’ve identified a problem, and this is how to fish over those dams. So now were working together to try to figure it out. And we’ve got some funding. And we’ve got a common goal. Whereas before, it felt to the tribes like the federal government didn’t want to talk about fish passage.”

The Coeur d’Alene tribe has already been working on an experimental program to release Chinook salmon into waterways the fish haven’t been in since completion of the Little Spokane Dam, back in 1910.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $25 million for tribal clean energy projects through the Office of Indian Energy.

Applications are open through May 30 for tribes, Alaska Native corporations, and tribal organizations.

According to the DOE, the new funding is intended to help tribal communities deploy clean energy technology, lower energy costs, and increase energy sovereignty.

The announcement was made Tuesday at the 2024 Tribal Clean Energy Summit taking place in California.

Director of the Office of Indian Energy Wahleah Johns made the announcement.

She invited attendees to learn more about her office and take advantage of opportunities they provide including tribal assistance, grants, and outreach.

The summit continues Wednesday featuring speakers, breakout sessions, and on-site DOE hours.

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Montana continues to rank in the top ten states in the nation for the number of reported cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP).

A halftime presentation at a recent Montana State University Billings (MSUB) women’s basketball game used half-time – and the power of silence – to raise awareness.

Yellowstone Public Radio’s Orlinda Worthington brings us the story.

At half time of the MSUB Lady Yellowjackets game instead of the usual loud commotion of the jazz band, cheerleaders, and overhead announcements in the Alterowitz gym, there is silence.

Spectators grew quiet as more that 50 Native American women, men, and children circle the basketball court in silence, each holding a large photo of a missing or murdered friend or loved one.

Daniel LaForge carried a picture of his sister, the second family member killed by violence.

“We’re seeking justice for my sister. To this point we still haven’t had a court date to where we have been able to get that justice so any kind of awareness we can bring to her situation and help us get that justice is something that we’re striving for.”

It may seem an unusual pairing, a high energy basketball game coupled with the somber issue of MMIP, but the February 17 game brought the issue to center court.

Randy Bear Don’t Walk is the Native Success Coordinator for MSUB.

He explains the significance.

“Basketball is huge in Native American culture. And it’s a way to draw the community closer. It’s a way to present our plight that we battle on a daily basis. You know, the missing and murdered Indigenous woman is a huge issue in our community. And a lot of times it’s, uh, swept under the rug, if you will.”

Photo: Orlinda Worthington

Raising awareness of MMIP started the game too.

The MSUB team entered the gym–wearing red T-shirts with the phrase, “No More Stolen Sisters.”

The change in warm up gear was in support of the half time event, sponsored by Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Billings.

Facilitate it – and honor the 65 missing people recognized during the silent halftime.

“Thank you to all you brave people who came out today.”

Master of Ceremonies Jana Schmieding.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy is hosting the 2024 Tribal Clean Energy Summit this week in Temecula, Calif.

The biannual event brings together tribal leaders, community members, and energy partners from across the county to focus on clean energy development for tribal communities.

More than 700 people are expected to attend this year’s summit.

On Tuesday, comedian Jana Schmieding is MCing the event and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will deliver remarks.

According to the DOE, Sec. Granholm will discuss the Biden Administration’s commitment to strengthening engagement with tribes to build a clean energy economy.

The summit is intended to provide a space for tribal leaders to build networks and explore clean energy projects.

The DOE says these types of projects can create jobs and enhance climate resilience.

Courtesy Sealaska Heritage Institute

Sealaska Heritage Institute is holding a public ceremony this week to welcome home a historic Chilkat robe to Alaska.

It was purchased by six people in the Lower 48 states and donated to the institute.

The piece is estimated to be at least 150 years old.

The ceremony will include a special recognition of the donors and weavers who assisted in securing its return.

The event will feature a traditional Spirit Dance to welcome it home and bring life back into the robe.

Chilkat weaving is unique to Northwest Coast cultures, and functions as a clan or ceremonial object within the Native community.

The private nonprofit, Sealaska Heritage Institute, promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history, and education.

The ceremony is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Juneau and will also be streamed online.

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