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Guatemala has a new president, despite efforts by the government system, which tried to prevent Bernardo Arévalo from taking office.

He was sworn in this week, elected in August, with heavy support of Indigenous groups across the country, but his win was followed by months of electoral drama.

Indigenous people have backed the reformist. They even held protests and blockades.

Arévalo campaigned in heavily Indigenous areas, calling for an end to racism and marginalization of Maya and other Indigenous people.

In August, Maya anthropologist Irma Alicia Velasquez Nimatuj shared perspective.

She says Indigenous people have high hopes for a different country where Maya and other Indigenous groups are not treated as second-class citizens.

“So, this is the opportunity to change the reality, to stop the migration to the United States. This is also a special moment for Indigenous women. Indigenous women in Guatemala have been working very hard for justice.”

In his inauguration speech, President Arévalo acknowledged the country’s Indigenous people.

The Associated Press reports Indigenous leaders are urging him to not forget about the support they’ve shown and to keep promises to provide basic needs to their people.

For Alaska State Troopers and other police departments across the north, the fur trapper hat is iconic.

The State Department of Public Safety buys about 50 of them a year and is looking for a new supply.

As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA reports, the department put out a request for proposals for hats with some very specific requirements.

Courtesy “Finding Your Roots” / Facebook

Cherokee actor Wes Studi is a guest on the PBS television show Finding Your Roots.

The episode “Fathers and Sons,” airs Tuesday night with Studi and actor LeVar Burton.

Both men grew up without their fathers and have questions about their family trees.

Finding Your Roots is in its 10^th season, hosted by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The show uses DNA technology and detective work to help guests learn about their family’s past, often answering decades-old questions, uncovering mysteries, and telling stories of unknown ancestors.

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Thousands of pages from historical newspapers near and on tribal nations in Montana are now available and searchable online through the Library of Congress.

Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches reports.

The Montana Historical Society recently finished a two-year project where they archived more than 100,000 newspaper pages dating back to the early 1900s.

Segundo was a former teacher and left her full-time job to pursue reviving the Alaskan Haida language, a critically endangered language.

She felt in order to do that, she needed to start with the children.

“There were no Indigenous authors, especially children book authors at that time. I searched high and low for good books that represented my people correctly, so I started writing my books so my three children could see themselves represented.”

Kúndlaan tells the story of a wolf pup who takes an exciting trip to the moon, and it is inspired by ancient Haida stories.

Kúndlaan is among the first children’s books to ever be published entirely in Alaskan Haida.

Segundo says creating these books went far beyond telling stories.

Due to a ban on speaking the Native language in schools back in the late 1800’s, Segundo says the language continued to die with every generation.

Still, she says, the Elders tried their best to instill their Indigenous culture to the children.

“And then as time went on, I learned more of why our elders didn’t teach us our language. And that just broke my heart. They protected our culture. But in the safe places in our village, we would be singing, laughing, telling stories in Haida, eating our traditional foods, so they still taught us but it was in a protected way, in a safe place. And I just remember them closing doors and curtains, and you know, to teach us sometimes, just because they were so punished for just being Indigenous and speaking our language, and I just want to take everything back that they tried to take from us, you know.”

Now residing in Seattle, Segundo speaks passionately about her upbringing in Hydaburg, Alaska.

“I grew up surrounded by birth speakers, and I didn’t really know how blessed I was at the time hearing their voices and their songs, and they planted a lot of songs in me, and words in me. Because I love to sing, I love music, so I just was like a sponge.”

Segundo said when her youngest granddaughter was born, her daughter wanted her first words she ever heard to be in the Haida language.

“And when she was born, my daughter wanted her first words in this realm to be Haida. So, she had a Native doula in the room, it was during Covid, and the Native Doula made the doctors and nurses be silent, so I could speak the first words to her.”

Courtesy Sondra Segundo

During the book release party, Segundo read aloud all three of her books, Kúndlaan: The Wolf Pup with Moonlight in his Eyes, Orca Eyes, and Love Birds: the True Story of Raven and Eagle.

She also gave an art lesson, and taught the audience a Haida dance.

Also in the books, which Segundo illustrated herself, she has songs all translated in Haida and says at the end of the day, speaking and singing your Native language is what keeps your culture alive.

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At a Shiprock Chapter meeting this week on the Navajo Nation, community members put forward a resolution that calls for independent oversight of cleanup efforts after an oil spill north of Shiprock, N.M.

Chris Clements with KSJD has more.

Residents held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the ramifications of the spill and the community-drafted resolution, which also requests an investigation into the cause of the incident by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department.

Last month, a pipeline that transports crude oil from New Mexico to Aneth, Utah was breached by a grading truck on agricultural land.

The pipeline is operated by a subsidiary of Navajo Nation Oil and Gas, which is a tribal enterprise.

Beverly Maxwell and other Navajo residents who live near the spill are frustrated with what they describe as a lack of communication from local and national tribal authorities about details of the still-ongoing cleanup.

“You know, as I look out the window now, there goes a dump truck full of contaminated soil, going to drop it off at the staging area of that big old contamination pile. And it’s (the cleanup process) not done.”

A press release on December 20 from the office of the president of the Navajo Nation said that the spill was quickly contained, and that out of the 1,500 barrels of oil spilled, 800 have been recovered, while 700 have soaked into the soil along the flow path.

Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman via Flickr CC

Members of the Biden administration are urging Congress to fully fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for 2024.

WIC is an important program for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Jill Fratis from our flagship station KNBA reports.

WIC provides food, health care, and resources, assisting more than six million people across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Officials are concerned a funding shortfall puts at risk nutrition security for women, infants, and children.

During a press conference Thursday, Neera Tanden, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, says there will be consequences if WIC is not funded this year.

“If Congressional Republicans pass it without fully funding WIC, states will have no choice but to cut a number of people they serve. States would be forced to implement waiting lists or take other devastating measures. Two million parents and young children could be turned away from WIC by September 2024 if Congress fails to provide full funding. That is simply unacceptable. Depriving eligible families of WIC would worsen hunger and hardships. No one deserves that, particularly our children”

Tom Vilsack is the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He says WIC participants are up 400,000 from a year ago.

He says if Congress doesn’t provide funding, participants would be put on a waitlist, and the repercussions of a funding shortfall would be catastrophic.

“Here’s how this waiting list scenario could work. Under program rules, waiting lists would first be implemented for non-breastfeeding postpartum women. And if that weren’t enough, next would be for children ages 1-5 years old, who don’t have higher risk medical issues. If that doesn’t satisfy the shortfall, then the next category are pregnant and breastfeeding women, and infants who do not have higher risk medical issues. Given the size of the funding shortfall, it’s likely that waiting lists would stretch across all, let me emphasize ‘all’ participating categories, effecting both new applicants, and mothers, babies and young children enrolled in the program who are up for renewal of benefits.”

The budget deadline is next week.

The Biden Administration and a group of lawmakers are calling for an additional $1.4 billion in federal funding for the program.

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The opening days of the legislative session in South Dakota are highlighting renewed efforts to improve relations between the state and the nine tribes located in its borders.

Between gaming compacts and flag ceremonies are among efforts to build communication between entities.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger has more.

During the annual State of the Tribes address, Cynthia Allen-Weddell, vice president of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, started her speech by acknowledging the work of the state-tribal relations committee.

The make-up of that committee was recently changed to include more non-Native lawmakers. She says the committee made an active effort to visit tribes and learn about their concerns.

“We welcome more opportunities to collaborate with the committee and the state. So, please do not hesitate to reach out.”

Over eight years ago, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe abandoned plans to open the nation’s first marijuana resort over fears of a federal crackdown.

Attorney General Marty Jackley charged two consultants who worked with the tribe.

Four years later, state voters legalized a medical marijuana program and Native Nations Cannabis in the Flandreau reservation was one of the first dispensaries to open.

Allen-Weddell says medical cannabis is a large economic driver for the tribe.

“The development of cannabis is an act of sovereignty, but based on necessity. Without the ability to find tribal programs, provide housing for tribal members, and to make sure people have food on the table, the tribe cannot be independent or a self-determined government. Cannabis has helped my tribe fund the gap between barebones federal programs and robust tribal programs and will continue to provide a solid economic base for the tribe.”

Earlier in the day, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) and representatives from Standing Rock and Rosebud Sioux Tribal governments hosted a ceremony to display their respective flags in the Capitol rotunda.

Both tribes recently entered new gaming compacts with the state.

Standing Rock is increasing the number of machines from 350 to 1,000.

The compact will last for a decade.

In Arizona, the 29^th Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day was held at the capitol in Phoenix on Wednesday.

Photo: Urias Communications

The summit gathered its largest attendance in history with more than a thousand tribal leaders, representatives, and community members.

They discussed priorities for the new year, including in areas of economic development, public safety, and human services.

The day-long gathering included afternoon breakout sessions with state agencies and a youth workshop.

The Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations hosts the event.

There are 22 federally recognized tribes in the state.

Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK).

Five of the largest tribes in Oklahoma are rejecting a state task force created by the governor.

In December, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) created the 13-member task force to address public safety, which he says is to address the U.S. Supreme Court McGirt decision.

This week, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole Nations, sent a letter to the governor opposing the task force.

The tribes say, after review, they conclude it would divide rather than unify and would make political points rather than seek genuine solutions.

The Five Tribes have one member and Oklahoma’s other 33 tribes have one member on the task force.

The rest of it is made up of state representatives.

The governor’s office released a statement saying it’s an opportunity to partner with tribes to respond to the issue and hopes the five tribes will reconsider.

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The flags of two tribal governments will get placed in the South Dakota Capitol rotunda Wednesday morning.

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) announced a ceremony to display two tribal flags during her annual state of the state address Tuesday.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger has more.

Three years ago, Gov. Noem signed a bill to allow any of the tribes residing in the state’s borders to display their respective flags in a prominent spot in the state Capitol.

“We will hang the first of those flags: the flags of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Our tribes are part of who we are as South Dakotans and we will respect their heritage.”

The effort to display tribal flags in the Capitol rotunda have been years in the making.

It goes back to before the governor signed the legislation into law.

In 2019, Gov. Noem announced a plan to permanently display tribal flags in the capitol.

Several tribes refused when, a few days later, the Republican governor introduced a package of bills to protect construction of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state.

The legislative package came after the deadline to introduce bills had passed.

The laws were challenged in court and the state passed a pared down version of the bills a year later.

The permit for the tar sands crude oil pipeline was rescinded in 2021 by the Biden Administration, but the effort to display tribal flags lives on.

State Sen. Shawn Bordeaux (D-SD) has introduced several bills to display tribal flags in the capitol rotunda. Now, it’s finally happening.

“Which, I’m excited about because when I originally did the thing there was an argument about whether we could put them in the rotunda or not. They said there’s a Capitol commission and they would decide where on campus they would be. I said I don’t want them hidden from somewhere. I want them in a premier space where everyone can appreciate that the nine sovereign tribes of the state are welcome here and are one with the state and this is our capitol too.”

It’s unclear when the other seven tribes will agree to display their flags in the state Capitol.

The State of the Tribes address takes place Wednesday afternoon at the South Dakota Legislature. A tribal leader delivers the annual speech before state lawmakers, which lays out tribal priorities.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren delivered his State of the Nation address Tuesday in Window Rock, Ariz.

The event was touted as the first time the annual speech was given in front of Navajo people before being delivered to the tribal council.

President Nygren spoke for more than an hour in both Navajo and English highlighting what he says were accomplishments during his first year in office, including in areas of economic development, job creation, and improving housing.

More than 2,000 people were said to attend the event, which was also broadcast on the radio and streamed online.

Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of his administration.

Watch President Nygren’s State of the Nation address

A stack of daily papers from the Billings Gazette. (Photo: Kayla Desroches / Yellowstone Public Radio)

Thousands of pages from historical newspapers near and on tribal nations in Montana are now available and searchable online through the Library of Congress.

Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches reports.

The Montana Historical Society recently finished a two-year project where they archived more than 100,000 newspaper pages dating back to the early 1900s.

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Scientists are sampling public water sources nationwide to test for what they call “forever chemicals,” which they estimate can be found in nearly half of the country’s tap water.

As Yellowstone Public Radio’s Kayla Desroches reports, scientists are also analyzing data from a river that’s culturally and recreationally significant to the Crow Nation in southeastern Montana.

The U.S. Geological Survey this summer wrapped up sampling in a study testing for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants in the Little Bighorn River.

USGS collaborated with Crow tribal member and Little Big Horn College Water Quality Project Director John Doyle, who has spent decades working to address water quality issues and environmental health on the Crow Nation and along the Little Bighorn River.

“It’s our drinking water, in Crow Agency we have a surface water plant. It’s agriculture, irrigation, it’s recreation, people swim in it, fish in it, and hunt along its banks, but it’s also used for many of our traditional ceremonies and uses.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS is a family of manufactured chemicals that in humans may, alongside other possible health effects, increase the risk of cancer and cause developmental delays in children.

Testing also includes a range of other chemicals like pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

Although Doyle says he hopes none will be found, he is concerned about impacts from wastewater treatment and other activity upstream.

“But it could be any number of things because there’s a lot of stuff that goes into the Little Big Horn River that we don’t know about.”

Analysis of the USGS data is still ongoing.

“My hopes and dreams are that we’re able to completely restore the Little Bighorn River to the state where we can drink it  and feel good about it.”

Joshua John Rukovishnikoff, 2, died in December. His sister, Jaylene Philemonoff, started a petition to bring his body home. (Courtesy Jaylene Philemonoff)

The trial of a 54-year-old St. Paul Island, Alaska man accused of strangling his wife gets underway in an Anchorage Tuesday.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA has more.

A grand jury indicted Joshua Rukovishnikoff on charges of second-degree murder in the killing of his 37-year-old wife Nadesda, who was known as Lynette.

She was found dead in the couple’s home on St. Paul Island in September 2021.

He told police the death was accidental and occurred when the two had been fighting.

The case drew attention after the couple’s two-year-old son, Joshua John, died a few months later after being medivac’d from St. Paul to an Anchorage hospital with a serious head injury.

The child’s guardians were later charged in the toddler’s death.

Alaska State Troopers say 33-year-old Steven Melovidov and his 30-year-old wife, Sophie Myers-Melovidov, initially told them they didn’t know how the boy was injured, but investigators say text messages between the couple told a different story.

The autopsy found multiple head injuries and bruising in the child’s genital area.

They are scheduled for a court hearing at the end of this month.

The back-to-back deaths rocked St. Paul Island, a remote community in the Pribilof Islands, which had not had any homicides since 2006.

For many on the remote island, the tragedy speaks to the deadly consequences of domestic violence that hits Alaska’s small, isolated communities, especially hard.

Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in Marvel Studios’ “Echo”. (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick / Marvel Studios)

The new Marvel Studio’s featurette “Echo” streams Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu.

Five-episodes follow the Native American lead, Maya Lopez, exploring her Choctaw culture and history.

Director and Executive Producer Sydney Freeland says they worked closely with the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma every step of the way for accurate on-screen portrayals.

Alaqua Cox, who’s Native American and deaf, plays the role of Maya.

She says this is their chance to uplift Indigenous voices, and let the world know Indigenous people are still here.

A number of Native actors star in the series.

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Indian Country is celebrating the historic win of Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone for Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Osage News captured the excitement of a crowd gathered for an Osage Nation watch party in Oklahoma on Sunday night.

The room full of people cheered as Gladstone’s name was announced as they watched the televised awards ceremony.

Gladstone thanked the Osage Nation in her acceptance speech, which she opened in the Blackfeet language.

She paid tribute to her Native language and talked about the importance of Native languages in film.

Among Gladstone’s acknowledgements were to her fellow Native actors in the film, director Martin Scorsese, and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

She had a special message for Native youth.

“This is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented in our stories told by ourselves in our own words with tremendous allies and tremendous trust from each other.”

Gladstone was honored for her role as Osage woman Mollie Burkhart in the film, which tells the story of the murder of Osage people in Oklahoma during the 1920s for oil money.

Gladstone is said to be the first Indigenous best actress Golden Globe Awards winner.

Photo: Jim Kohl / Anchorage Museum

In Alaska, the Anchorage Museum is no longer charging an admission fee for Alaska Native visitors.

The new policy went into effect at the start of the year.

APRN’s Liz Ruskin reports.

Museum Director Julie Decker says no proof of identity is required.

“People can state that they’re Alaska Native … at the front admission desk, and they will not be charged admission.”

Decker says the proposal was not controversial for the museum staff or the board.

She points out that a significant portion of the museum’s collection comes from Alaska’s Indigenous cultures.

“I think it’s really a celebration of our place, of who we are. I think it’s recognizing the Alaskans and people who have made this their home for millennia.”

Michael Fredericks is Yup’ik and grew up in Anchorage.

She says the museum’s work to amplify Indigenous identity attracted her, specifically its very visible land acknowledgement on the building.

“When the signage went up on the side of the museum that says, ‘This is Dena’ina Elnena’. I was pretty blown away by that.”

The cultural affirmation prompted Fredericks to become a museum member for the first time, and to begin bringing her son there.

Now she chairs the museum’s governing board.

Fredericks, who owns a strategic consulting firm, says she’s excited by the new admission policy.

When she was growing up, she says her Yup’ik identity made her feel that she was “other,” even in her own hometown.

She didn’t feel the museum was meant for her.

“By … giving Indigenous people free admission, it’s not just about saying, ‘Hey, … we’re eliminating the financial barrier to this place.’ It’s saying, ‘This is your place, you know, this is your place, you come in and make this your place even more.’”

The free admission applies to general entry. Alaska Native visitors still have to pay for special events, workshops and classes.

The Navajo Nation is objecting to NASA and a private company’s rocket launch to the moon carrying human remains.

The spacecraft launched from Florida Monday.

The Navajo Nation says the moon is sacred and the placement of human remains on the moon is desecration.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren says even though they’re opposed to this journey to the moon, the tribe is not opposed to science or space exploration, but he’s calling for tribal consultation.

Nygren says he laid out the tribe’s concerns with a last-minute meeting with the White House and some federal agencies on Friday.

The rocket is scheduled to land on the moon next month.

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Advocates and tribal leaders working to address violence in Alaska Native communities says support systems and lifting taboos are needed in order to help people heal.

Leigh Anne Gubatayao (Tsimshian) is a survivor of domestic violence.

She says she found a safe place and support when her parents brought her home to Juneau.

“As I learned about trying to recognize that domestic violence was a part of my family and try to heal that, I was able to do that in my homeland with my parents and with a women’s shelter that really helped teach me.”

Gubatayao talks openly about her journey to help others saying it’s not something to ignore or hide.

“Speaking our truth, telling our stories…but to have the community really acknowledge that our women have suffered, and that they need all of us to gather and to heal, right, because what we want to do is we want to break the silence, to break the cycle, so that the next generations don’t have this same level of trauma that we have, but we want to teach them how to have healthy coping skills, how to reach out to people and get the support you need to heal.”

It may be hard for Alaska Native communities to confront some of these tough issues, but Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska President Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson says it’s needed.

“When you talk about, you know, domestic violence, when you talk about murdered and missing Indigenous women and people. That third line of trauma is there. And it’s hard to have to admit some of these things. It’s hard to have these conversations.”

Peterson says as a leader it’s important to work on healing efforts.

“When we talk about healing, I’m gonna stand up and say these things, I’m gonna stand up and say the things that scare me, it’s really hard to pull these things out of the dark and put them in the light. But I’m gonna hold myself accountable, and I’m gonna hold others accountable. You know, heal. Healing is a journey. And it’s like any journey, it’s usually better walked with others.”

Peterson says he’s working to make sure people have the support they need for a successful journey.

This story is a partnership with FNX Television with support by the Public Welfare Foundation, committed to advancing transformative youth and criminal justice reforms.

Watch advocate Leigh Anne Gubatayao and President Richard Peterson in this special television report

The Common Council in Kenosha, Wisc., has okayed an agreement with the Menominee Nation, helping the tribe with its eventual goal of building a casino and entertainment complex in the city.

Chuck Quirmbach of station WUWM reports.

Common Council members voted 11 to 6 in favor of the intergovernmental agreement.

Ald. Daniel Prozanski Jr. says the millions of dollars per year in gaming revenue that the Menominee would eventually pay the city of Kenosha would help fund things local residents want.

“We do want better police presence and we do want a safety building and we do want access to better advanced medical—EMS. And this is a way, a way, not the way, a way, to help offset some of those costs.”

Opponents questioned the Menominee’s plan to partner with Hard Rock International—owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida—to also have a hotel, music venue, and restaurants at the casino site. There was concern about Hard Rock maybe pulling out of the project.

Chair Joey Awonohopay of the Menominee-Kenosha Gaming Authority

But Joey Awonohopay, who chairs the Menominee-Kenosha Gaming Authority, says Hard Rock remains very committed to the partnership.

“We took a trip down to the Seminole Tribe a year ago, and we re-strengthened that commitment with the Seminole Tribe and with Hard Rock International.”

The proposed intergovernmental agreement next goes before the Kenosha County Board.

Awonohopay acknowledges some nearby smaller communities have concerns about traffic congestion. But he says the proposed casino location along Interstate 94 won’t lead to problems.

“The traffic will just be coming off of 94. They’re not going to be driving through Somers and all the different suburbs. They’ll just be heading to the casino, then back on the interstate.”

If the Kenosha County Board okays the Menominee’s plan this month, Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) and the Interior Department would still have to approve.

Owonohopay says he likes the tribe’s chances with both.
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A large qaspeq, which draws attention to violence against Native women, has been traveling the country.

Yup’ik artist Amber Webb created the traditional garment. It features portraits of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“I didn’t realize until I did the project, how many women I knew who had either been murdered or gone missing. And I didn’t realize how big of an impact that had on shaping my identity. Like how I walk around in the world, where I’ll go and where I won’t go and how I teach my daughters to be safe.”

Courtesy Amber Webb

Webb says it’s a personal issue for her, having a family friend go missing.

Several years ago, she felt an overwhelming sense to do something and created a nearly 13-foot tall qaspeq, featuring hand drawn faces on the garment with permanent marker.

“I realized I wasn’t gonna be able to find portraits of all of the Native women from Alaska who had been murdered because there was no way to even quantify that, because so many don’t even, have never been tracked. In my grandmother and my great-grandmother’s generation, nobody was tracking that, people don’t even know. I decided to look to the work that was being done in Canada and allover North America. And I wanted to honor all of the activism that had been happening, and this was people’s grandmas people’s Aunties, people who died before anything happened. Those are the people that allowed all of us who are doing activism now to have a platform to do what we’re doing.”

Webb says she wants to make sure stereotypes are dispelled about missing and murdered Native women.

“The violence happens anywhere Native women are and it’s a part of colonization…tied into the experience of boarding school trauma and tied into the experience of like the people had during forced removal. That the violence we’re experiencing today is the same violence, it’s the same violence that our grandmas and our great-grandmas experienced. When we talk about violence, it’s really important to name it. It’s important to name where the violence comes from and who’s doing it. You could say Native women are killed at alarming rates or you could say, people are killing Native women, and who are those people? We know that 90% of them are non-Native people and even the ones that are Native are coming from places who have experienced high, high rates of trauma.”

Courtesy Amber Webb

Webb says the qaspeq is to honor the women and keep their memories alive.

“When people look at each one of those faces, I want them to see the humanity and the life that was there. Because it’s not about how they died, it’s about how they lived, and it’s about how we live in their honor, and how we protect each other.”

Webb’s Memorial Qaspeq is currently part of the traveling exhibit – Protection: Adaptation and Resistance – showcasing the work of more than 45 Alaska Native artists.

This story is a partnership with FNX Television with support by the Public Welfare Foundation, committed to advancing transformative youth and criminal justice reforms.

Watch Webb and Alaska Native fashion designer Mary Kelsay talk about their advocacy in this special report

Courtesy National Western Stock Show

The 2024 National Western Stock Show begins this week.

Festivities include a parade on Thursday, and as KUNC’s Rae Solomon reports, an Indigenous group is bringing Native culture to the event.

Marching bands, horses, and long-horn cattle will take over downtown Denver to kick off the annual celebration of Western ranching culture.

This year, for the first time, the parade will feature the Rocky Mountain Indigenous Dancers.

Mary Martinez Yellowhorse directs the dance troupe.

“Representation matters that we’re able to bring our culture into new spaces. And even if it’s uncomfortable, it’s needed. So we’re out there to show that we’re still here. We’re still thriving.”

The parade opens more than two weeks of rodeos and events that president and CEO Paul Andrews calls the Superbowl of stock shows.

“The entire country is converging on Denver to compete – coast to coast they are here. You will not see a competition with more competitive animals in this country”

This year’s highlights include live music on the weekends and a new exhibit featuring Colorado’s burgeoning wine industry.

The stock show runs January 6-21.

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