Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Researchers at Avera are working to understand factors underlying maternal health care for Native Americans in western South Dakota.

Most counties west of the Missouri River are considered a maternal health care desert.

As South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger reports, that means women live more than 100 miles away from medical providers that specialize in delivery.

Distance, weather, transportation, and trauma are just a few of the barriers standing in the way of pregnant Native American women needing or wanting prenatal health care.

That’s coupled with a lack of providers West River — both in reservations and in the Black Hills.

Dr. Amy Elliott is a chief research officer at Avera McKennon.

She describes the issue bluntly.

“It’s crisis levels. With the lack of obstetrics providers especially on the western side of the state. How do we find solutions, not just for recruiting more people, but also do we have to think a little bit different about how we deliver care?”

According to the South Dakota Department of Health, from 2012 to 2021, American Indians made up 20% of all live births, but 44% of all pregnancy-associated deaths.

Dr. Elliot and others want to fully understand what’s causing that issue, and others.

Dr. Elliot says a lack of data hinders insight into understanding causes or generating solutions.

“An advantage of being in a health system is we have access to quite a bit of data and we also have close partnerships with the Department of Health, Great Plains Tribal Leaders Board and other agencies around so we’re able to help maybe combine different data streams that haven’t been combined before.”

That, Dr. Elliot hopes, will lead to lasting and systemic change in better health outcomes for Native women on the great plains.

A new documentary Bad River spotlights the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa — and the tribe’s David vs. Goliath battle against the Line 5 pipeline.

Lina Tran of WUWM in Milwaukee reports.

The Bad River Band is up against the Canadian energy company Enbridge.

Twelve miles of pipeline runs through the Bad River reservation. 

It’s a fight the Band says is necessary to defend Lake Superior from the aging pipeline. And protect the lake for future generations. 

RunningHorse Livingston is a Bad River member featured in the film. 

“We’re fighting this battle for water, but it’s really a battle for our home. And keeping it safe and keeping it beautiful, the way that it has been for forever.”

The film says there’s no evidence the Band ever consented to the pipeline. A federal judge ruled that Enbridge is trespassing and has three years to shut it down.

The film argues this is only the latest chapter in the tribe’s long fight for sovereignty.

Here’s producer, writer, and director Mary Mazzio.

“And you know, long after this challenge, there will be another one, because that’s just the history of who we are as a country. This is a very, very precarious situation happening in real time.”

Erosion near the banks of the Bad River has stoked the Band’s concerns that the exposed pipeline could rupture.

Their urgency grows as climate change makes extreme rainfall and flooding more and more likely.

The film started screening March 15 in select theaters. 

Members of the Kiowa Tribe welcome Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs employees to Carnegie, Okla. on April 7, 2023. (Courtesy VA)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma are hosting a veterans benefits event on April 5.

Tribal Veteran Service Officers and other advocates are expected to be onsite at the tribe’s community center to assist veterans, spouses, and widows with VA claims.

According to the VA, collaborations with other tribes across the country are in the works to hold similar events.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Federal officials say they don’t have many resources to offer if it takes over law enforcement on Northwest Montana’s Flathead Reservation.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports those comments come as the county plans to stop providing those services on the reservation.

For decades, Lake County has overseen felony jurisdiction on the Flathead Reservation as part of a long-standing agreement. But commissioners say the county can no longer afford it and wants to pull out.

That would pass jurisdiction to the state, but Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) says the state is also pulling out of the agreement.

That means the federal government would take over, but Montana U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich says federal agencies are already stretched.

“And we know for a certainty at this point that it will be … worse in the short term from a resource perspective in holding people accountable.”

He says his office would only be able to prosecute bigger cases that impact a large number of people like large drug distribution or sex trafficking.

Lower-level felony offenses might go unchecked.

“That’s an unacceptable consequence.”

County Commissioner Gale Decker says it costs about $4 million to provide law enforcement services on the reservation.

“If we have to stay in it for public safety concerns, then we’ll have to make decisions about where we can find extra money.”

Commissioner Decker says that could come in the form of budget cuts, staff layoffs, or asking voters to approve a levy.

If Lake County continues with its plan to pull out of the agreement, the federal government would take over May 21.

Niin Wigwamis / My Little Home Project in Canada. (Courtesy Garden River First Nation / Facebook)

Canada’s auditor general says the federal government is failing to pledges on housing and policing to the country’s Indigenous people.

It’s a refrain that was voiced by previous fiscal watchdogs, as Dan Karpenchuk reports.

Auditor General Karen Hogan released three reports this week, two of them focusing on housing and policing for First Nations.

She says her latest audit shows a distressing and persistent pattern of failure.

“I’m rather discouraged that it’s been twenty years and there is little progress despite the amount of money that’s been invested.”

Hogan says previous auditor general have talked about the situation being unacceptable and even beyond unacceptable.

She says, despite many warnings, the lack of funding for housing means that number of First Nations homes in need of repair is basically the same as it was in 2015.

She says it’s obvious that the process has not been working and there is twenty years of information to show that.

“I’d like to see a fundamentally different approach taken by the government to address the issues whether it be around safe drinking water, emergency preparedness, housing or policing.  The approach of being passive and siloed and having communities apply, doesn’t appear to be working.”

Hogan says adequate housing is a basic human need and adds that she’s completely discourage that so many First Nations families continue to live in substandard homes.

Hogan’s report says the Indigenous Services Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation have made little progress to support First Nations efforts towards better housing conditions in their communities.

She also says the data shows that government agencies have not given priority to communities with greatest needs and those communities with poorest housing conditions got less money that those with better housing conditions.

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community members and staff tend the clam garden. (Courtesy Swinomish Fisheries Department)

More than $30 million for 42 climate projects have been awarded to tribal communities in Alaska under the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Climate Resilience Annual Awards Program.

Alaska received about one-quarter of the $120 million in awards recently announced.

The funds are intended to help address climate change.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

In California, Ohlone Native Americans and Berkeley city officials are celebrating the land back of a sacred site dating back to thousands of years.

Christina Aanestad reports.

It’s considered the largest land back of an urban city.

The 2-acre West Berkeley Shellmound is where the Ohlone people first established a human settlement on the shores of the San Francisco Bay 5,700 years ago.

Fast forward to today, through hundreds of years colonization, stolen lands, and a mission system that enslaved the first nation’s people, the site is now a paved over parking lot.

But that’s about to change.

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín.

“Berkeley made history and we did that by honoring the first people that live on this land. This historic step is critical to righting past wrongs.”

The city of Berkeley committed $1.5 million to help purchase the land for the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and the Ohlone Confederated Villages of Lujan with a new vision for Indigenous cultural revitalization.

Melissa Nelson is chair of the land trust’s board of directors.

They raised $25 million to purchase the land.

“A place for gathering, ceremony, we want to restore the native landscape, daylight the creek that flows through this area. We want to plant Native medicines (and) foods that we can again gather and tend to our relatives.”

The trust plans to build a commemorative park with a new shell mound and a cultural center to house cultural objects that have been stored at University of California, Berkeley and that the Ohlone have tried to repatriate for years.

It was long fought victory.

The settlement to purchase the land from a developer ends years of court battles and conflict between developers, Indigenous activists, environmental groups, housing advocates, and city leaders.

Berkeley is known for its signage that reads City of Berkeley with Ohlone Territory written underneath.

Now you know they mean it.

The Nunavut team was standing outside the Curt Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla, Alaska.

More than 1,700 athletes competed in the Arctic Winter Games are now headed home after a week of competition in south-central Alaska.

They hailed from six Arctic nations including Alaska, which represented the United States.

They all competed for Ulus, medals shaped like a curved Inuit knife

Alaska, with its home team advantage, took home the most medals – 221, including 70 gold.

Two Canadian contingencies, the Yukon and Alberta North, took second and third place respectively in the overall Ulu count.

But as Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA found out, this was a sporting event that was more than about winning medals.

Some call the Arctic Winter Games as the Olympics of the North.

But the Dene Games and Indigenous Arctic sports are what make this a one-of-a-kind event.

Majorie Tahbone has been involved in the Dene Games for 20 years. Now she’s a coach.

“Just being able to come together with international friends and cousins has been so motivating. It warms my heart.”

Judah Eason (Unangax heritage) from Kenai won a bronze in the finger pull, which puts hand strength to a test, but he was more excited when elders awarded him a medal for “Fair Play”.

“It’s very emotional (laughs). (‘Fair Play’ is) the heart of these games, more than anything else. The ability to mentor others and win and lose graciously and build each other up as a community.”

Jack Thimm and his wife Kathy are among 2,000 volunteers.

The Wasilla couple says, with so many people involved, they’re surprised at how this mega-event has run like a well-oiled machine.

“There’s so much positivity just flowing through this building.”

Win or lose, it was a chance for teams to play their best, like team Nunavut from the far-eastern Canadian Arctic.

Although they were disappointed to be knocked out of the semi-finals and had to settle for a Bronze, Luke Joy says it was far from a total loss.

“We all came together as a team, and we all started communicating together, and we just found our inner peace.”

Luke’s father Martin coaches the team.

He says young people across the Arctic – especially those in Indigenous communities – have to deal with a lot of isolation, but the inclusiveness and diversity of the games is an important part of the experience.

“It just shows the kids that we’re not much different than anybody else, but it just how resilient we are – how important it is to celebrate those successes when they happen.”

Planning is already underway for the next Arctic Winter Games, to be held in Whitehorse in the Yukon in 2026.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Federal infrastructure dollars are making their way to the Pine Ridge Reservation.

This money will go toward the Oglala Dam, which has been out of commission for some time.

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

The dam failed about five years ago.

Representatives from the Interior Department were on hand this week to break ground on the new development.

Putting the dam back into use will help mitigate floods in lower-elevation communities and rebuild the lake ecosystem in the area.

Bryan Newland (Ojibwe) is the assistant secretary of Indian Affairs.

He explains the problem at the dam.

Newland says it’s an example of real investment in reservations from the Biden Administration.

“This is a perfect example of the commitment. This is not just mouthing the words ‘trust, responsibility, or commitments to tribes.’ We’re putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to things like this. Serving all Americans including American Indian people, tribes and communities that are so often overlooked.”

Local tribal representatives on hand were happy to see real steps being taken. That includes water resources director Reno Red Cloud.

“It’s an exciting time today with the spillway dedication. We can see that there’s improvements coming to our tribe. It’s an improvement for us to move forward for another 60-70 years.”

The dam was first built in the 1940s and was taken out of commission following a severe flood.

The U.S. and Canada have struck a deal over pollution flowing from British Columbia coal mines into a lake and river system in Montana.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton explains.

Tribes in the U.S. and Canada have raised concerns for years about  selenium levels harming fish reproduction in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River.

That selenium is flowing from coal mines along the Elk River in British Columbia.

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes chairman Tom McDonald says the pollution puts cutthroat trout and threatened species like bull trout at risk.

“We have to be able to have a clean and healthy environment that we can be able to catch fish and eat fish out of any river system that’s in our aboriginal territory that we’ve relied on for the past 10,000 to 30,000 years.”

The U.S. and Canada agreed to let the International Joint Commission set up a governing body for the transboundary watershed.

That body will make recommendations for provincial, state, and federal governments.

While not legally binding, IJC recommendations are usually implemented.

Teck Resources, which owns the mines, says it wants to learn more about the IJC process, but noted it’s willing to work with all parties.

B.C. provincial officials released a statement saying they support IJC involvement.

Courtesy Angus Reid Institute

A new poll suggests that Manitoba’s new Indigenous premier has the highest approval rating among Canadian premiers.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, Wab Kinew’s polling shows a sharp difference from his predecessor who ranked last in four previous polls.

It’s apparent that the honeymoon phase between Manitoba voters and premier Wab Kinew (Onigaming First Nation) is far from over.

The latest Angus Reid poll shows Kinew with an approval rating of 57% and more than 20% of them say they strongly approve.

Kinew of the New Democratic Party campaigned for the October election on the promise of fixing health care making life more affordable.

“So today is a new day in our province and people are feeling very optimistic about the future and now it’s up to our administration to deliver.”

Chris Adams is an adjunct professor of political studies.

“You don’t wanna hang your hat too strongly on these numbers, but at the same time, it’s good to compare this premier to the other premiers. Knowing the polling data from the past number of years, it’s the first time Manitoba’s premier has been so high up in the numbers.”

At the same time Adams says Kinew has made some commitments that might be difficult to keep and he adds that he would be surprised if the current numbers hold. But he says many Manitobas are feeling a sense of optimism about Wab Kinew’s election.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Native women are a key part of the business world and discussed women leadership this week at the Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nev.

The event is put together by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

Yonne Tiger is a travel attorney and has a business called Show Nation.

When it comes to women lead businesses, Tiger says women bring something different including a different mindset than their male counterparts.

And also, she says Native women are often the breadwinners for their families.

“Sometimes, you’re the main person in their family that’s providing an income. And it’s not always because they’re a single mother, it’s just because of circumstances. They’re the ones that are providing for their whole family, and even outside of their immediate family, a lot of times they’re the caregivers for our parents, and our siblings, and nieces, you know, whoever needs the help. We’re charged with that responsibility.”

Margo Gray is a board member of the National Center.

She wears many hats, and has been a part of RES for many years.

She says women lead businesses are continuing on the up and up, and when it comes to giving women, especially Indigenous women advice, she says make sure to have a plan.

“Do your homework, and I’m telling you, you can go to Barnes and Noble and any bookstore and look how to get into business. Just follow the process. And I just encourage everyone if you have that dream, don’t ever think it, do your homework, and then be ready to take that risk.”

Keynote speakers this week had words of encouragement for attendees like Dakota Louis, a professional bull rider from Browning, Mont.

He says when Indigenous people put their mind to work, they can do powerful things including Native youth.

“It’s going to be hard at times, but it’s going to be worth it. Anything that’s wroth it, is definitely going to test you, and just know that you’re not alone. Everybody struggles through things, there’s good days and there’s better days, just know that Creator has a plan for us all, and just keep pushing forward, the only limit is the limit you put on yourselves.”

More than 4,000 people are gathered together, including tribal leaders, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, state and local officials, and top C-E-O’s to discuss entrepreneurship, business, and mentorship in Indian Country.

The summit wraps up Thursday.

Courtesy Arctic Winter Games

Competition is heating up at the Arctic Winter Games.

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley near Anchorage is hosting the games this year – the first time the international competition has been in Alaska in a decade.

So far, “Team Alaska” leads the Ulu count, medals that are shaped like a Native ulu, a curved knife for cutting fish and game.

The Yukon and Northwest Territories are in second and third place.

Besides the United States, which is represented by Alaska, the other Arctic nations include Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

The athletes range in age from eleven to 18.

At opening ceremonies on Saturday, Alfred Tellman, an elder from the Knik Tribal Council welcomed the crowd.

“Whether you win or not, you’re all winners.  Whether you ‘medal’ or not, you’re all winners.  You’ve come a long ways to get here. You’ve done a lot to be here.”

One of the big challenges for Greenland’s team was raising the money to travel. But Karl Davidson, who is the Greenlandic government’s official representative for the games, says sports are one way to help young people balance both modern and traditional life.

“Sports over Greenland, are very much influenced by the European style.  The Arctic Games are very much less to find in Greenland.”

Davidson says Indigenous games like the one-foot high kick have gained popularity in his country, thanks to Greenland’s participation in the Arctic Winter Games.

The event encompasses a wide range of competitions – from winter sports like figure skating and speed skating – to downhill and cross-country skiing. But the Dene games and other Indigenous sporting events make the Arctic Winter Games a one-of-a-kind event.

Former Gov. Wally Hickel (R-AK) and other Arctic nation leaders founded the games in 1959 to bring circumpolar peoples together.

The manager of this year’s games, Karen Land, says they will help Alaska build bonds for the future.

“It is very special celebrate that. And the great thing about the game, is that the participants all come, and they are all strangers. By the end of the week, they are friends and lifelong friends. It’s just amazing to watch.”

The games run through Saturday.

Today’s NNN was written and anchored by Jill Fratis

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Indian Country business is getting done in Las Vegas this week, as more than 4,000 people are gathered for the 2024 Reservation Economic Summit.

It’s put on by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

The summit features tribal leaders, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, state and local officials, and top CEOs all gather together on a national platform.

Attendee Henry Jake Foreman is the program director for New Mexico Community Capital based in Albuquerque, which assists Native-owned businesses.

He says an important goal for his non-profit in the next year is to connect with high urban Indigenous communities.

The organization is building a technology hub in downtown Albuquerque, which is a co-working space and an innovation spot.

He says they’re also seeking to expand hubs beyond New Mexico.

“Phoenix, Ariz., they have one of the highest urban Indigenous populations, so we also want to create a hub there as well. We’re looking to Oakland, Calif. where we’ve done programming in the past. We’re traveling to Oklahoma City next week as well as Alaska.”

Also during the summit, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the Biden Administration is investing $58 million in tribal communities in Nevada, Oklahoma, and South Dakota to provide clean drinking water, sanitary wastewater systems, and affordable high-speed internet.

Sec. Vilsack says that when it comes to helping a community grow economically, access to clean water and water sanitation should be a no brainer.

“Making sure that tribes have access to water and wastewater treatments, absolutely essential to the economic opportunity and development.”

As for high-speed internet, Sec. Vilsack says that regardless of how small or rural a community is, access to high-speed internet is crucial, and that working with the Reconnect Program is going to help make that happen.

“You cannot have a modern economy without access to high-speed internet. And I think the President has been very clear about this. He wants all areas, regardless of how remote they may be, to have access to this incredibly important tool.

RES wraps up on Thursday.

WATCH Native America Calling live from RES today at 1 p.m ET and a special web exclusive panel at 5 p.m. ET

Are you at RES this week? Meet us at booth #423

Ryan Metoxen-Hamilton, left, and his brother Deven Metoxen-Hamilton process samples together. (Photo: Lina Tran / WUWM)

Bitter cold keeps bugs at bay, but climate change is giving invasive pests like emerald ash borer a leg-up — which can cause serious economic damage.

After Wisconsin’s warmest winter on record, Lina Tran of member station WUWM reports on how tribes in the state are keeping track of the problem.

Warming winters have encouraged the spread of invasive pests like the tiny, green ash borer beetle. That makes fending off pests harder.

Tracking their spread is a key part of the effort.

Melissa Johnson (Oneida) is with the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council.

She leads a pest survey across tribal land in the state.

Before it started about five years ago, tribal forests weren’t included in the state-run surveys.

“The tribes, the more knowledge they have about their land, the better. And it’s not like an insect knows reservation boundaries or county boundaries.”

A mix of antifreeze and water helps immobilize and preserve the trapped insects until they are processed. (Photo: Lina Tran / WUWM)

What they find helps inform tribal forest management and preserve black ash wood, which Haudenosaunee tribes have used to weave baskets for thousands of years.

Last July, I met Johnson and her interns at a wild, grassy field in the Oneida reservation.

Deven Metoxen-Hamilton is a senior at UW-Stevens Point and an Oneida citizen.

He checks a trap hanging from an oak tree.

He almost wants his summer job to be boring — he doesn’t want to find anything.

“Like, it feels good to be doing this. But then again, it’s like if you find something, it’s a good thing and a bad thing. Bad that it’s here. Good that you’ve detected it early.”

All morning, the team drives to different sites.

None of them identify as “bug people.” They’re doing this because of the threat that non-native bugs pose to the trees and birds that they love.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Native students from colleges and universities from across the country are learning valuable leadership skills this week in Las Vegas.

More than 250 students are gathered for the American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL) conference.

It’s being held in collaboration with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit where more than 4,500 business leaders are gathered.

The AIBL conference offers a variety of activities geared specifically to enhance educational experiences beyond what is taught through traditional academic methods.

Courtesy Prairie Blount / LinkedIn

Prairie Blount is the Executive Director of AIBL.

She says, with the program, they’re helping future business leaders in three different ways.

“We focus on training tomorrow’s business leaders, and we do that in three specific ways. We provide scholarships, we provide paid internships, and mentoring opportunities.”

Blount says, with scholarships and financial help, Native students, particularly in the business fields, can get their education and return back to their reservations and communities to help build the economy.

Christian Rangel has been a part of AIBL for four years and joined his junior year of college at the Northwest University of Oklahoma with a bachelors in business management.

He’s now working to get his business major and says because of AIBL, he will be able to help his community.

“Whenever I graduate, I want to open a business and go back to my reservation in Piñon. In Piñon, there’s not much water, and not much housing I want to create some type of housing.”

Blount says with the 30th anniversary coming up for the organization, they have a lot of plans in store, especially for the younger leaders still in school.

“We’re blowing up our programming to include high school track, a tribal university, and then a young professionals track. So those students that have come through our program, but are just entering their jobs, they still need support as well. And so we’re including them in our new programming going forward, so that we can really create a more wholistic experience for our up and coming business leaders.”

The AIBL conference wraps up Tuesday, with representatives from over seventeen different states, over 35 different tribal colleges, and universities.

Courtesy Oscars / ABC

Sunday’s 2024 Academy Awards was filled with many memorable moments.

The movie Oppenheimer won a majority of the awards as predicted, but one thing Indian Country was rooting for didn’t happen in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category.

Native people across the county were holding high hopes actress Lily Gladstone would take home an Oscar for her role as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Courtesy Oscars / ABC

Gladstone has been the top contender this award season, winning best Actress at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, so when Emma Stone’s name was called, it appeared Stone herself was just as shocked.

When going up to accept her award, Stone acknowledged Gladstone in her speech.

“Lily, I share this with you. I am in awe of you. And it has been such an honor to do all this together, I hope we can keep doing this together.”

Gladstone is Blackfeet and Nez Perce.

Her portrayal of Molly Burkhart in the film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ has been widely recognized by critics and viewers alike.

During the introduction of the Oscars Award for Best Actress, actress Jennifer Lawrence highlighted Gladstone’s portrayal in Killers of the Flower Moon.

“Lily, you are the soul of Killers of the Flower Moon. Every second of your performance as Molly Burkhart is imputed with the plight, resilience, and spirit of the Osage people. Your advocacy offset is a powerful display of dedication and leadership illuminating and helping us reconcile one of the darkest part of our country’s history.”

People across Indian country expressed their displeasure on social media, but many say Lily is still a winner and an inspiration.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.