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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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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

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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.”

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.”

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

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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Artists are among those continuing to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Alaska.

They want to make sure their loved ones are not forgotten – and seeking justice for those who’ve gone missing and murdered.

Seattle-based fashion designer Mary Kelsay (Unangax̂) is using her talent to create conversations around MMIP.

“I know that a lot of our Indigenous folks know, the problems we face, you know, with our missing and murdered relatives, but a lot of our non-Indigenous members of our community do not.”

To draw awareness and spark conversations, Kelsay created a collection of five red dresses.

“It was inspired by the portrait that Dustin Newman, a fellow Unangax̂ artist created, which represented our missing and murdered sisters here in Alaska, from all areas of Alaska, and when I saw the portrait, I decided that I wanted to make those dresses come alive.”

The Our Sisters Red Dress Collection has been shown in Alaska, Washington state, and has journeyed all the way to Paris. The dresses were featured at the Washington State History Museum last year in Seattle, where they received much public attention.

“I think for a lot of our Indigenous community, it is creating, like healing, a part of a healing process and a healing space. A lot of people have come up and you know, told me that it was healing, and they shared their stories, relations to a missing, murder relative.”

The issue is personal for Kelsay.

She says one of her childhood friends was taken, and also one of her own family members.

“I think that we all need to use our voices to kind of stand up for our relatives who can can’t speak. And I know that it sometimes it’s really hard to use our voices, and I’m getting better at using my voice and sharing the story of our relatives. And yeah, I’m just going to keep sharing the collection for as long as I can. And for as long as I have to.”

One of the dresses was donated to the Red Dress Gala being held in Anchorage, Alaska, this month, to benefit an Indigenous-led MMIWG2s working group in the state.

This story is a partnership with First Nations Experience Television Network and supported by The Public Welfare Foundation, committed to advancing transformative youth and criminal justice reforms.

A judge in Quebec has ordered McGill University to honor the terms of an agreement with an Indigenous group over the search for possible unmarked graves.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the site is at a former Montreal hospital.

The group Mohawk Mothers says Quebec’s infrastructure agency did not properly involve the panel of archeologists appointed to oversee the search for graves.

The location is the site of a future downtown university campus expansion.

Having the expert panel involved was a main part of the deal between developers and the Indigenous group.

The Mohawk Mothers have tried several times, in court, to stop construction fearing human remains would be desecrated.

Kahentinetha is one of the Mohawk Mothers.

She says wants the site properly searched for unmarked graves.

“That’s what we want. And we will not stop until we accomplish that. So that’s where we are now. We’ve been stopped many times. But it hasn’t stopped.”

The former Royal Victoria Hospital was the site of mind control experiments held at the psychiatric institute that was affiliated with he hospital in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Mohawk Mothers say it’s possible Indigenous and non-Indigenous survivors of those treatments are buried on the site.

Earlier this year, a search using cadaver dogs discovered evidence of human remains at the site.

Since then there has been no confirmation of human remains.

In November, a court reinstated the archeologist panel, but the university is appealing that decision.

 

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A proposed local agreement between the Menominee Nation and the city of Kenosha, Wisc. to open a casino and entertainment complex is scheduled for a key vote this week.

Chuck Quirmbach of station WUWM reports.

The Menominee want to team with Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, to open an off-reservation gaming hall, hotel, ballroom, and restaurants along Interstate 94.

The complex would be about halfway between a non-tribal casino in Waukegan, Ill. and the Forest County Potawatomi gaming facility in Milwaukee.

Joey Awonohopay chairs the Menominee-Kenosha Gaming Authority.

He acknowledges the nearby competition for gamblers.

“But, the question is, do they carry the entertainment and the excitement as well as Hard Rock does? And the answer to that is, no, they do not.”

Gaming Authority Vice-chair Gary Besaw says the proposed ballroom would also be perfect for weddings and corporate retreats.

“We’re looking at enhancing what can happen in the Kenosha area.”

The Menominee and their partners are promising about $10 million per year in payments to Kenosha and Kenosha County after the complex would open.

That’s not enough to sway city resident John Bush.

“How many millions of dollars are we losing each year from companies that don’t want to move in right next to a casino? How many millions of dollars are we losing when people flee our community when there’s a casino less than a mile or two away from them?”

If the Kenosha Common Council okays the intergovernmental agreement Wednesday, January 3 and the Kenosha County Board signs on later this month, the Menominee and Hard Rock project would still need federal approval and the okay of Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI).

A new study looks at the economic and social changes brought about by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska over the past three decades.

Deborah Van Fleet has more.

Ho-Chunk, Inc. sponsored the report by consulting economist Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor’s observations include the doubling of the Tribe’s middle class over the last 30 years.

He attributes this to their multiple institutions, with about 3,500 jobs in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa in 2022, and a combined payroll of nearly $200 million.

“And that surprise change is really what American Indian economic development has been endeavoring to achieve across the country. And this is in a remote Plains tribe, in the poorest county of Nebraska.”

Among the Tribe’s entities are its oldest and largest, Ho-Chunk, Inc., as well as several for-profit and nonprofit institutions, including a college, a hospital, and community development corporation.

He says the Tribe’s ability to thrive gained momentum with its steps to “diversify” from the gaming industry back in the 1990s.

Lance Morgan, founder and CEO of Ho-Chunk, Inc., the Tribe’s economic development corporation, calls the tribe’s “multi-institutional” approach “key” to its success.

He says failing to do this is one reason poverty is intractable on many reservations.

“Unless you unleash the natural abilities of tribal people through these institutions, you never go anywhere. We have been really focused on this development of institutions and people across the board. And what’s happening is, is that natural organic growth is happening.”

Morgan says their population has grown by 30% in the past eight years.

Condolences are pouring in for Klee Benally, who passed away over the weekend, his family announced on social media.

The Indigenous musician, advocate, and land defender was well known for his work on protecting sacred sites in Arizona.

A cause of death was not listed.

Benally was 48 years old.

 

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A new children’s book in the Lingít language was celebrated at a gathering in Juneau, Alaska on Friday, the first of its kind in decades.

As Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA tells us, it is the first of a nine-part series.

“You all agree this book is beautiful?”

Tlingit and Haida’s president Richard Peterson held up the book to show off the illustrations by two Lingít artists – Nick and Kelsey Foote.

The book Kuhaantí means “orphan” in Lingít.

It’s a story about a girl taken in by a powerful family and through her struggles, learns life lessons about the tribal values of respect.

President Peterson wishes he had had a book like Kuhaanti to read when he was a boy.

“We didn’t have this opportunity. And it may not make sense, because certainly we had more elders, we had more first language speakers, but we know that things like boarding schools and historic trauma, there was a lot of shame and probably people telling us we couldn’t be who we are.”

But students from the Tlingit, Culture, Literacy, and Language program were full of pride as they performed at the celebration.

Jill Meserve, a Lingít language instructor, says the new book will help learning become more meaningful.

“These kids are so fortunate to see themselves in their teachers, in their curriculum, and in their books and in our community.”

Lance Twitchell, Director of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast: “If you’re looking for the English translation, it doesn’t exist.

X’unei Lance Twitchell says it’s important that the language stand on its own.

He worked with a team of elders to produce the book including Kaxwaan Éesh George Davis, Shaksháani Marge Dutson, and Daasdiyáa Ethel Makinen,

“I thought of George and I thought of Marge, and I thought of Ethel, and how much I wish I could show this to them.”

X’unei produced a video of the book, so everyone can both see and hear the story.

The books are free to children of tribal members.

Raven and the Salmon House will be the next story to be published.

The project was a collaboration between Tlingit & Haida, a regional tribal council; the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, a Native corporation non-profit; and Cedar Group, a regional economic development agency.

A new memoir called SURVIVAL FOOD shares tales from growing up on the Menominee Indian Reservation.

The author, Thomas Weso, was born in 1953. He passed away in July before the book was published.

WUWM’s Lina Tran has more.

Thomas Weso grew up in a time of economic transformation – when commodity goods were eaten alongside game from Wisconsin’s Northwoods. And then there was the rise of processed foods.

He often wrote about food. Here he is speaking in a 2021 interview with Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

“We should think about where food comes from. Because if we think where food comes from, we’ll take better care of the land around us.”

Weso’s wife, the writer Denise Low, says he was interested in writing about Indigenous people in the present.

“He had a very zen sense of like, “What’s here now?” and not “what were Indians like, or Indigenous people like, 100 years ago? Here we are now.”

That’s why you’ll find all kinds of recipes in the new book, from tamale pie to turtle soup.

There’s instructions on how to forage milkweed pods, which Weso writes are tasty with butter. But he likes mixing them with canned tuna into boxed mac and cheese.

“He doesn’t just stick to Indigenous food. He tries to embrace the diner foods that he loved also. And to accept that there was an intermixture.”

Weso’s taste celebrated that unique mix, found only in Wisconsin, on the Menominee reservation.

 

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