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Federal officials recently denied hydroelectric projects in Black Mesa in northeast Arizona.

Tribal officials are praising the federal government’s decision.

Clark Adomaitis has more.

Tribal officials and environmental justice groups have been opposing three hydroelectric pumps in the Black Mesa region for over a year, saying the project would deplete already small groundwater reserves.

The communities on the high plateau rely on aquifers that are 2,000-3,000 feet below the ground for drinking water.

“Today, we don’t even see the springs and the seeps anymore on Black Mesa.” 

Nicole Horseherder, executive director of the Navajo nonprofit Tó Nizhóní Ání, says that for 50 years, coal mining projects have used billions of gallons of groundwater in Black Mesa.

“In a place that gets less than eight inches of rainfall a year, we’re almost 100% dependent on these groundwater sources. When industry comes in, and taps into the same groundwater sources, There’s just no way that you’re not going to make an impact on municipal and residential water uses.”

Horseherder praises the federal agencies for considering the tribal communities’ position.

Federal commissioners also announced a new policy of not allowing projects on Tribal lands that don’t have Tribal support.

An Alaska legislator apologized on the house floor last week for comments she made in a Tribal Affairs Committee meeting.

Committee members heard testimony from organizations serving Alaska Native people on the disparities in assault rates and violence against Indigenous women, which is several times higher than the general population.

At the end of the meeting, State Rep. Sarah Vance (R-AK) of Homer said she felt the presentation excluded the experiences of white women who are victims of sexual violence.

“It’s the same thing. But what I continue to hear in this committee over and over again, is if you are the only one. And I know that’s not your heart. But I ask that, when you come and present, that you remember that you have white sisters who are going through the same thing.”

State Rep. Ashley Carrick (D-AK) from Fairbanks responded to Rep. Vance’s comments.

“While the suffering is the same for victims, the causes of that violence are not the same. And the response to that violence is not the same. And the justice for the victims is not the same. And until it’s the same, we have got a lot of work to do.”

The 16-member Alaska House Coalition, which is made up of mostly Democrats and Independents, called for Rep. Vance to apologize in a press release last week, like State Rep. Maxine Dibert (Koyukon Athabascan/D-AK) from Fairbanks.

“As the only Alaska Native women in the legislature, knowing my Native sisters are disproportionately affected by these high rates of violence within Alaska and other states cuts me to my core.”

Rep. Vance apologized on the House floor that same day.

“But to every victim and every Alaskan Native voice, you have been heard and you will continue to be heard in this body. And I ask you to forgive me for, for not listening with understanding first.”

Rep. Vance sponsored four bills related to human and sex trafficking this legislative session.

The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma is seeking changes to the Major Crimes Act for Cherokee citizens of Freedmen descent.

The federal law governs criminal jurisdiction of tribal citizens on reservations and requires “Indian blood,” which the tribe says discriminates against Cherokee citizens of Freedmen descent.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says they’ll seek change through Congress or the high courts.

The Cherokee Nation has more than 15,000 enrolled citizens of Freedmen descent, which are full Cherokee citizens.

Hoskin made the announcement during an event this week in Tulsa.

 

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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) is making history as the first Native American to serve as a U.S. cabinet secretary.

While she’s beloved in Indian Country, at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) winter session, some tribal leaders report they still don’t see the Interior Department as an ally.

Matt Laslo has the story from Washington.

In his State of Tribal Nations address on Monday, NCAI President Mark Macarro (Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) tipped his hat to President Joe Biden.

“Under his presidency, there are more Native Americans in the highest levels of government than ever before. From the White House to agencies, we see you!”

Bernadine Atchison, council chair of Alaska’s Kenaitze Indian Tribe. praises Sec. Haaland and all the other Native Americans in the Interior Department.

“Well, I think it’s amazing because it sets good role models like for our children and grandchildren that you can accomplish anything and your voice can be heard and can make a difference. I know they’ve come to visit us. They’ve helped.”

Maurice “Mo” John, a member of the tribal council for New York’s Seneca Nation, says there’s no question Sec. Haaland’s presence is being felt in Indian Country.

“By any standard, she’s made it easier for us, and she is the go between us and the administration. She’s a wonderful girl and I think she’s doing a very hard job to help all of us and she does help all of us at any given moment.”

But it’s not all resounding praise.

Cheryl Andrews-Maltais is chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah.

“We’re on the island of what we call Noepe, and everybody else knows as Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts.”

Andrews-Maltais used to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and has high praise for Sec. Haaland. Still, she says her tribe has butted heads with the Biden administration over its 30×30 initiative to conserve 30% of America’s land and water by 2030.

“The waters rose, creating our island over 10,000 years ago. So all the areas right out to what they call the continental shelf break, where it actually goes down, all that was dry land and that has all of our living patterns and archaeological history contained submerged somewhere underneath the water. We’re trying to protect that, and it seems to compete with the administration’s need and desire to meet their 30×30 slogan for climate resiliency.”

Dallas Owen, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe of South and North Dakota, says his tribe is still jumping through too many federal hoops and hurdles.

“It’s like you got to hit steps one, two and three before you can get to four. So I know she’s probably doing the best she can, but I do I expect more? Yes. But am I going to be at a loss if nothing comes to fruition? Probably not. Because I know the position she’s in and at the end of the day, unless they cut red tape, it’s just what it is.”

Ashley Hemmers (enrolled member of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe) says part of the way tribes were able to secure protections for the sacred Avi Kwa Ame National Monument was through bypassing Washington and working with other tribes first.

“We know we wanted to protect our sacred site and we can’t rely on Washington, right?”

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has published a book on the era of Indigenous slavery in Alaska that endured more than two decades after passage of the 13th Amendment to the federal constitution, which abolished the practice two years before Alaska became part of the United States in 1867.

The book is about a Haida man named Sah Quah, who embarked on a courageous quest for freedom from his Tlingit owner, and the trial that ultimately ended human bondage in 1886.

Sah Quah explores how slavery came to exist and persist in Alaska despite the federal act that banned it.

The book was written by journalist Jeff Landfield and Paxson Woelber along with attorney Lee Baxter.

The investigative special feature first appeared on the political news site The Alaska Landmine and was reprinted through SHI’s Box of Knowledge series.

Woelber said the story of slavery in North America is incomplete without an understanding of slavery in Alaska.

 

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On the Ute Mountain Ute reservation, the tribe has started a project to open one of the largest solar farms in the United States.

Clark Adomaitis has more.

Two-point-two million solar panels, 8 miles long and one mile wide.

That’s the dimensions of the proposed Sun Bear Solar Farm, just south of Towaoc, Colo. in the heart of the Ute Mountain Ute reservation.

Scott Clow, the Ute Mountain Ute Environmental Programs Director, says the solar farm will be one of the top five largest solar farms in the United States.

“It is a commercial scale project on the order of 756 megawatts (of) AC power.”

Planning has been ongoing for two and a half years and funding is coming from international renewable energy company Canigou.

According to Canigou’s Director Justin Passfield, the project will cost over $1 billion.

Passfield says electricity generated from the solar farm will be connected to the Western Area Power Administration line, but it’s unclear what regional entities the electricity will be sold to.

“We’re thinking about the power needs within Colorado, but also it makes sense for not to transmit power too far from where you are. Having said that, we’re going to be producing a large amount of power. So I’m not sure that all of it will be able to be consumed within Colorado.”

Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart is excited about job opportunities for tribal members and the opportunity for the tribe to become a significant player in renewable energy.

“We, as the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, had been a fossil fuel tribe with oil and gas for a long time, probably over 50 years. And today with the changes in legislation, global warming, and climate change, you can see the impact of what’s happening to our world. So renewable is the new future right now.”

Canigou Group says the solar farm will create over 500 local jobs for electricians and laborers, and they’re aiming to start producing electricity in 2026, once final approval is given from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Bodaway/Gap region of the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation (TCRHCC) will have its own health care center after 20 years.

TCRHCC will hold a ground-breaking ceremony Friday for a new, two-story health care facility and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025.

When completed, the center will offer services such as a primary care center, dental clinic, eye clinic, wellness center, mental health clinic, and more.

Residents of Bodaway/Gap have had to travel 35 miles for health care services in Tuba City.

In 2018, TCRHCC established a limited-services, part-time clinic out of a mobile building.

The need for services started in 2002 when a request was made by the communities of Bodaway/Gap and Kaibeto for a health facility.

In a statement, TCRHCC CEO Joette Walters said: “This is a historic event for the surrounding communities, and it all started with a vision to improve access to healthcare.”

The Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, Alaska has released a set of instructions for making an Alutiiq/Sugpiaq snow falling parka.

This project was supported by the Tangirnaq Native Village and the US Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Produced in partnership with Elder Susan Malutin, the resources provided step-by step instructions for creating a long, hoodless coat from fabric.

The garment is styled like the iconic Kodiak Alutiiq snow falling parka worn by men, women, and non-binary people.

The resources are intended to help Alutiiq people create cultural garments to share and celebrate their heritage.

Education Manager Leda Beuthin is leading the project.

 

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The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and the Native American Agriculture Fund recently announced an investment in a new agriculture business degree program.

The BIE is partnering with Haskell Indian Nations University, based in Lawrence, Kan.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) made the announcement in remarks at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s Annual Legislative Summit in Washington D.C.

The education effort will be housed within Haskell’s business school and the program will cover things such as lending operation, risk management, regulatory compliance – and encompass comprehensive fundamental lending principals that will improve the relationships Native farmers and ranchers have with their financial institutions.

In a statement, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Ojibwe) said he’s excited to see Haskell implementing innovative programs to foster opportunities for the next generation of Native American farmers and ranchers.

He went on to say new program will help ensure that Indigenous farming students can build sustainable business models which support them, their families, and traditional food systems by bridging the gap between educational needs and agricultural financial literacy.

Officials say the partnership will focus on building bridges between educational needs and ongoing efforts to improve agricultural financing, which they say is critical to a long-term sustainable and resilient Native Food economy.

A major transition is ahead for the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN).

AFN leaders have announced plans for Julie Kitka to step aside as president before this fall’s convention.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA looks at how this changing of the guard will take place.

Next month, AFN will open up the application process, the first step in choosing the next person to lead state’s largest Native organization.

In an announcement, AFN leaders said it was President Kitka’s choice to leave this role.

Kitka was elected president in 1990, but her service to AFN goes back four decades.

From healthcare to fulfilling the goals of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Kitka has had a hand in almost every one of AFN’s major achievements.

Paul Ongtooguk (Inupiat), an Alaska Native historian, says it’s always tough for a legacy leader to decide when it’s time to leave.

“No one lands on that squarely that I’ve ever seen. There’s an enormous amount of appreciation that needs to be given for all the time and enormous effort that she’s put in, year after year.”

AFN’s board of directors has created a succession committee and hired The Foraker Group to help with the search and transition.

Foraker is an organization that helps non-profits grow and adapt to change.

AFN is also asking its members to fill out a survey to help choose a new president.

Ongtooguk says that is a good idea and it’s especially important for AFN leaders to hear from the younger generation, who may have ideas they would never even imagine.

“The way people think about that role and what it could be and should be for the future. It really does need to take a fresh bend in the river.”

The plan is to have the new president in place by October to lead the 2024 AFN Convention, the largest gathering of its kind in the state.

Kitka says she has no comment at this time, but will not leave the picture completely.

She says she will take up a new role at AFN, to be announced sometime in the near future.

AFN Co-Chair Joe Nelson said in a statement that it’s difficult to imagine an AFN without Julie Kitka at the helm, but AFN leaders are committed to a healthy transition.

Analysis from Paul Ongtooguk: Why two tribal organizations have left the Alaska Federation of Natives

 

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The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld the federal government’s Indigenous child welfare act.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the challenge came from the province of Quebec which argued that the act overstepped provincial jurisdiction.

Quebec won the case in 2022 before the Court of Appeal, but Canada’s highest court, in a unanimous decision, upheld Ottawa’s child welfare law, thereby affirming that First Nations, Metis, and Inuit have the sole authority over the protection of their children.

Indigenous leaders cheered the decision.

One of them was Ghislain Picard, Assembly of First Nations regional chief from Quebec-Labrador.

“Our peoples have compromised enough. I think it’s time now for other governments to do the same. I think it’s the only way that trust and good faith will prevail.”

The ruling also affirmed that Indigenous peoples have an inherent right to self government – and that includes control over child and family services.

The High Court said there is nothing in the division of powers between the federal government and the provinces that prevents Parliament from affirming that Indigenous peoples have the inherent right of self government.

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu called the decision truly historic.

“Separating parents and their children from culture, from family, from language, indeed from care, is a tool that colonizers have used to diminish and oppress people all around the world.”

Hajdu also says the decision paves the way for more Indigenous autonomy in areas such as health care and water quality on reserves.

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is holding its winter session in Washington, DC this week.

President Mark Macarro (Pechanga Band of Indians) kicked it off on Monday with the annual State of Indian Nations address.

Matt Laslo has more from Washington.

The “work always continues”, Macarro told attendees here in Washington, but he reports, “the state of Indian nations is strong and on the rise.”

“Let us also take a moment to breathe in the rich diversity and strength of our thriving tribal nations that are in this very room. I believe this is a moment for hope and in the country. We continue to make strides and representation and everything from elected office to outer space to what I would what I believe will be a historic night at the Academy Awards next month.”

Macarro announced three calls to action in his address. First on his list is the announcement that NCAI plans to host a national public safety summit.

“Where we can engage in deep discussions about jurisdictional and law enforcement needs on all our tribal lands and address police brutality in our urban tribal communities.”

Macarro says that public safety summit will also focus on combatting the opioid epidemic.

Second on his list was the announcement that NCAI is forming a taskforce focused on the integrity of tribal membership and unity after two constitutional amendments to exclude state-recognized tribes from voting membership were defeated at last year’s annual conference.

“I want us to work through this in a respectful way. This is essential for uniting our voices and forging a legacy of unity and strength. And to our Alaska relatives, I recognize our unity as indigenous people. Our partnership moving forward is critically important.”

Lastly, Macarro announced NCAI will be convening a Native vote roundtable ahead of November’s presidential election.

“Our collected and continued political engagement is crucial. Every vote we cast has the power to shape the future.”

Under the Biden Administration, there are more Native Americans in the highest levels of government than ever before, which Macarro says is being felt in Indian Country.

“This representation fosters a deeper understanding of our needs. Substantial efforts have been made to enhance government to government dialogue and to seek consultation with us. We’ve seen improvements in community trust processes, NAGPRA, and environmental standards. This administration has also worked with us to restore stewardship of our ancestral homelands.”

Macarro called on Congress to make Indian Health Service funding mandatory and permanent, while he’s also advocating for federal lawmakers to reauthorize and modernize the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act.

“Indian Country needs are not entitlements. Indian Country’s needs are non-negotiable. They are imperative and they must be met.”

Throughout the rest of the week, tribal leaders and Alaska natives will receive training sessions before NCAI members hit Capitol Hill offices Thursday to lobby members of Congress and their staff’s directly on behalf of Indian Country.

NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright Jr. (citizen of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska) says these efforts are vital.

“Our mission – to protect and advance the rights and interests of tribal nations – remains as critical today, as it was in our founding. My role as executive director convinced me to uphold this mission, ensuring that our collective efforts resonate not only within our communities, but across the halls of power because that’s where the decisions affecting our futures are being made.”

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The FBI just launched a new project to collect more data about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis.

Wyoming Public Radio’s Hannah Habermann reports on the announcement at the Wind River Reservation made last week.

The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency that investigates serious crimes on the Wind River Reservation – and they’re trying to collect more information about those who’ve gone missing or have been murdered.

The agency set up a new designated email account – WYMMIP@fbi.gov – to better understand what the crisis looks like in the state and what resources the agency can contribute to solving cases.

FBI agent Leonard Carollo says he recognizes that tribal members have not always been comfortable working with the agency.

“We recognize these historical barriers and want to do all we can to improve the flow of information.”

Agents and other FBI employees will collect information – like new details or cases that were never reported – for the next ninety days. Then, they will research and investigate the tips.

The FBI also plans to host in-person information-gathering sessions on the Reservation.

The Anchorage murder trial of Brian Smith enters its second week.

The 52-year-old man is accused of killing Kathleen Henry and Veronica Abouchuk, two Alaska Native women from the rural communities of Eek and Stebbins who had experienced homelessness in Anchorage.

Last week during jury selection, potential jurors were asked if they could handle seeing gruesome photos and video that Smith allegedly shot of the one of the killings on his cell phone.

A woman testified last week that she stole the phone from Smith’s truck.

At the time, she said she lived in a tent and was riding around town with Smith “on a date”.

In 2019, the woman turned in an SD card to police and told them she found it on the ground.

But in court last week, she admitted to stealing Smith’s phone from his truck and copying the video to an SD card, which she turned over police, after her therapist encouraged her to do so.

As the trial finished its first week, defense attorneys argued the footage shouldn’t be shown to the jury, because so many different stories have been told about the source of the video.

Before trial recessed last week, the judge asked the prosecution to explain more about how police obtained the video and how it was handled.

As of now, the judge plans to allow the jury to see the footage in which Smith does not appear, but is heard telling his victim that he plans to kill her.

Investigators say they recognized his South African accent from a prior investigation involving Smith, which led to his arrest.

The federal government is launching a new behavioral health call line for students and staff at tribal schools.

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

The line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and funded by the Bureau of Indian Education.

The agency says the line will mostly be staffed by Indigenous counselors who have experience serving Native communities.

They will offer both immediate individual crisis support and scheduling for virtual counseling.

Emily Haroz is with the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.

She says this added support comes at a critical time.

“Across the board, we see inequities and mental health related outcomes among Indigenous groups, particularly Indigenous youth. And so having something really tailored to those communities is really important in order to make sure that the care that’s provided is culturally congruent, and also accessible.”

The behavioral health line will serve more than 180 tribal schools.

 

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The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is hosting tribal leaders from across the country this week in Washington, D.C. at its 2024 Executive Council Winter Session.

Tribal leaders will discuss crucial issues facing American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

They’ll also take part in taskforce meetings and listening sessions – and hear from Biden administration officials, members of Congress, and federal partners.

There’s also a Native Youth Leadership Summit.

One top highlight is the 2024 State of Indian Nations speech.

NCAI’s new president Mark Macarro, who was elected in November, is delivering the address, which sets forth tribal priorities for the year ahead.

Among priorities are land-into-trust issues, voting rights, environmental sustainability, and more.

The event kicked off Monday and will wrap up on Thursday.

The second annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Summit and Day of Action is taking place this week in Sacramento, Calif.

The events are sponsored by the Yurok Tribe and the Wilton Rancheria.

Joseph L. James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe, says putting on these events gives a voice to the state’s MMIP and their families, which he says have, for too long, suffered in silence as countless loved ones have been lost to the MMIP crisis.

Tribal leaders from across California, along with state and federal legislators and leaders, including Assembly Member James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA), Attorney General Rob Bonta (D-CA), and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), as well as law enforcement and families of MMIP are expected to advocate during the two days and seek solutions to target the crisis’ root causes.

Asm. Ramos says although there are increased awareness and resources to combat the MMIP epidemic, they’re seeing California trend the wrong way with numbers of unsolved cases going up instead of down.

Officials say California has the fifth-highest number of MMIP cases in the U.S. with the majority involving young women and girls.

The day of action is taking place as the U.S. Congress reviews legislation on MMIP.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley met with NASA administrator Bill Nelson last week, urging for federal protection of the moon.

The tribe has long advocated for protecting celestial bodies.

Navajo leaders reached out to NASA, the White House, and other federal agencies in December, expressing opposition of a private company’s rocket launch with NASA to the moon carrying human remains.

The Navajo Nation had an initial meeting with officials in January, just days prior the rocket launch.

In a press conference last month, President Nygren talked about the sacredness of the moon and says sending human remains there is desecration.

“The Navajo Nation holds the moon in such high regard, and when it comes to our way and life in our culture, that we shouldn’t be transporting human remains, ashes to the moon to the moon, and also, we’re born here, and we should be left here when we move on as well.”

President Nygren went on to say he’s expressed to the government how the moon plays a vital role to not only the Navajo Nation, but other tribes as well.

“Our land, our culture, our way of life within the four secret mountains. The way we grow things, we use it as a calendar, and our moon is so integral in everything that we do, that there should be some respect, and respect some sacredness to the moon.”

President Nygren says even though they’re opposed to this journey to the moon, the tribe is not opposed to science or space exploration, but wants continued tribal consultation.

The Navajo Nation says last week’s hour-long meeting at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., was a step toward acknowledging and respecting Native perspectives within U.S. space policy.

 

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Federal regulators this week said the Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam didn’t draw too much water out of Flathead Lake last summer.

As Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports, some residents blamed the dam operator for historically low lake water levels.

Flathead Lake’s low waterline last summer was the result of a shallow snowpack and warm temperatures melting that snow quickly.

Residents filed complaints with federal energy regulators arguing that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes drew too much water out of Flathead Lake.

They say that harmed the tourism industry.

Regulators say the dam stayed within the bounds of its license.

The CSKT are fending off another complaint, too.

A separate group of residents and business owners argues the dam should follow an old management plan that would keep more water in Flathead Lake.

CSKT officials say that plan was never approved and would reduce downstream flows, harming fish and other aquatic species.

Nellie Moore was a broadcast journalist who leaves a big footprint in Alaska and beyond.

She died last week at the age of 69.

Moore was one of the first Indigenous women to report in Alaska and was one of the early hosts of National Native News.

Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA tells us how it all began in the Northwest Arctic community of Kotzebue.

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas is seeking Native youth to take part in its Native youth leadership summit.

The summit brings young people from across Indian Country to the university to explore career opportunities in food, agriculture and nutrition.

Applications are now open online for this summer’s summit for people ages 18-25.

 

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This week, U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk/D-KS) and Tom Cole (Chickasaw/R-OK) reintroduced legislation to investigate, document, and report on the histories of Indian boarding schools and their long-term impacts on tribal communities.

The bill has been endorsed by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS).

NABS CEO Deborah Parker talked about the legislation at the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit.

“It’s much needed to help us tell the story, help us understand what happened to our Native American children in U.S. boarding schools. And we deserve, America deserves, not only Native Americans, but students, but people, any human being who is living today deserves to understand the truth about what happened in the United States.”

Parker says they’re seeking records and information from both the federal government and churches that ran the schools.

“We know parents are still looking for children to this day, their relatives who never came home. Most of the parents are no longer with us, but there are elders who have brothers and sisters, siblings, cousins who never made it home from the boarding school. So, they are missing. We’re trying to help families locate their loved ones…we still know our communities have, we have broken systems within our communities because we don’t know where our loved ones are.”

The legislation would establish a formal commission to investigate federal Indian boarding school policies, develop recommendations for federal entities to help with healing efforts, and provide a forum for victims to speak.

Reps. Davids and Cole, co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus, say they’re committed to investigating the abuses at the institutions, which are connected to an estimated 500 student deaths.

The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2024 has also been endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians.

An Indigenous author recently released a children’s book on the jingle dress dance and its healing power.

As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports, the idea for the book came about during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, Deidre Havrelock saw countless videos online of Indigenous women and girls jingle dress dancing – a century-old tradition that started during the global flu pandemic.

Havrelock is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada.

“I was like, no wonder it’s just so beautiful, right? It’s 100 years later, and they’re still doing this – even more so, like, it’s just exploded. And, I thought, I wanted to capture this historic moment through a picture book.”

Why We Dance: A Story of Hope and Healing follows a young girl’s relationships with her mother, aunt, and cousin as she gets ready for the Jingle Dress Dance.

The lyrical story ends with colorful illustrations of the joyful dance.

Illustrator Aly McKnight is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho.

“Celebrating healing is such a needed thing in this world, just considering what we deal with on a daily basis. And kids need that – like, adults need that.”

The book is available in libraries, bookstores, and online.

The Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) announced Wednesday a partnership with Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, Ariz.

NABI serves Native youth and hosts an all-Native basketball tournament.

In 2023, Native youth from across the U.S., Canada, and as far away as New Zealand took part in week-long events using courts across the Phoenix area.

The partnership at GCU is expected to host more than 160 teams this summer with more than 1,600 athletes and 400 games on the college campus – utilizing 13 courts.

The championship games will continue to be held in downtown Phoenix at the arena where the Phoenix Suns play.

 

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Following her recent address to state lawmakers, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) is facing repercussions for her rhetoric relating to the state’s reservations.

In response, Native leaders are questioning the intent of her speech.

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

Gov. Noem says the influx of migrants across the southern border is making every state in the US a “border state.”

She says the state stands ready to send razor wire and national guard troops to help Texas with the crisis.

Noem alleges cartel affiliates, including a group known as the “Ghost Dancers”, are hiding in South Dakota’s reservations.

“The fact of the matter is we know these gangs and this violence is there, and people don’t talk about it, but it needs to be a truthful conversation on what can we do to work together better to make sure people are safe and that we really do have law and order.”

Ghost Dancers is a support group of the Bandito Motorcycle Club.

Some take issue with the use of the group in the speech, including both Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out and State Rep. Peri Pourier (Oglala Lakota/D-SD).

Rep. Pourier says Gov. Noem is using the issues faced by the tribe as a platform for national political ambitions.

“Are we trying to deal with it? Absolutely. Are we under resourced? Absolutely. I wish that was a part of her speech. Not gangs and cartels and ghost dancers. Create a big boogeyman that doesn’t exist. We have real issues, we have economic development issues. To go this far on this platform is disrespectful.”

Some political observers see Gov. Noem as a strong potential vice-presidential pick for the 2024 Trump campaign.

Gov. Noem did meet with Rep. Pourier following the speech and says she is interested in improving the relationship between state government and the tribes.

In a statement, President Star Comes Out says Gov. Noem’s speech is an effort to frame the situation at the border as a Republican crisis to reelect former President Donald Trump.

President Star Comes Out calls for a bipartisan solution.

As a result, President Star Comes Out formally banned Gov. Noem from the Pine Ridge Reservation.

This is the second time Gov. Noem has been barred by the tribe.

She was banned in 2019 for pushing a legislative package to aid Keystone XL oil pipeline construction.

An inquest into Canada’s deadliest stabbing incident in 2022 is over and 29 recommendations have been put forward.

Myles Sanderson killed 11 people in the James Smith Cree Nation in September of 2022, leaving the community in shock.

Dan Karpenchuk has more.

The 29 recommendations include better access to addictions and cultural programming in prisons, reforms to how inmates are allowed on supervised release, and having those with a history of domestic violence given a higher priority for arrest when it comes to breaking release conditions.

Myles Sanderson was in breach of his parole conditions at the time.

Chelsey Stonestand speaks for the Burns family, which lost six members. 

“It’s not perfect, recommendations. But it’s practical. At the end of the day I think there’s comfort in this inquest and the recommendations that are going to be implemented.”

The inquest was also told that inmates who receive psychiatric care in federal prisons are released with a week’s worth of medication and then left to find their own doctor.

Sanderson had been taking medications for ADHD while in prison. 

There were also recommendations for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for more engagement with parole officers, more officers in some locations, and better communications with First Nations leaders.

Rhonda Blackmore is the commanding officer for the RCMP in Saskatchewan.

“I think because there is a lot of positivity that can come out of those recommendations, that we will work very hard to address those recommendations. And do what we can to implement.”

Some First Nations leaders say the challenge now will be to make sure that affected agencies will act on the recommendations, which are non-binding.

Some of those leaders have also called for a national inquiry into the killings.

 

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