Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has new leaders including president, Pechanga Tribal Chair Mark Macarro.

Rhonda LeValdo has more.

New NCAI president Mark Macarro was officially sworn in with other leadership positions Friday as the organization’s annual convention wrapped up in New Orleans.

Macarro says his priorities as president will include being more vocal in Washington D.C.

He also says there needs to be healing with state-recognized tribes, upset with this year’s membership amendment vote that would have stripped them of their voting rights and leadership positions at the organization. Those amendments failed.

“I want to get all of us used to coming to D.C. to reengage in a better way the mission of NCAI, which is being present in D.C. to Congress, the Administration, and the White House to advocate priority issues.”

Outgoing NCAI president Fawn Sharp reflected on some of her greatest contributions as NCAI president.

“Continuing to advance tribal sovereignty in the face of a myriad of challenges including, just three months after my election, a global pandemic and disproportionate funding that left us vulnerable. And we achieved equity with state, local government. I think that laid a foundation for our advancements in tax policy. I was the first tribal leader to receive diplomatic recognition to join the U.S. delegation to COP 26 and 27. The U.S. looked to us to lead a high-level conversation between the United States directly with Indigenous leaders from every continent.”

Sharp says she’ll continue to work to make an international imprint as she works to get tribal nations more visible outside of the United States by attending a meeting with Indigenous leaders in Dubai as Macarro starts his term as president.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Two controversial amendments were voted down Thursday at the National Congress of American Indians annual convention.

Rhonda LeValdo has more.

As voting took place early in the day, attendees at NCAI had a wide range of opinions in both support and opposition on the amendments regarding membership.

The two, calling for only federally recognized tribes to be voting members and also for leadership roles, failed to pass.

Darrell Waldron Chief of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe was in opposition.

“I thought it was disgusting. The argument, pre-recognition we worked on the recognition applications back in the (19)70s creating it uh… and it was disgusting to hear what I heard today and not today, but this week, and to see a lack of education of the time span that had happened between, you know, first contact and then 200 and something years later, contact. And a lot of the work was done in the middle somewhere, you know, and I don’t believe the intentions were to come across as malice.” 

Christopher Tabbee, Vice Chairman of the Ute Indian Tribe, was among tribes in support of the passage of the amendment to limit NCAI’s eligibility criteria.

“I don’t think it’s fair for them to just vote on things that aren’t going to be affecting them and things that they vote on could hurt a tribe somewhere else, a federally recognized tribe, where they’re a state it doesn’t bother them. They’re not party to it. They can just say okay we’ll just go back to our state and deal with them, right. Funds through them or whatever, funnel through them. So I think that it’s important for one thing is important is that we’re not saying, I’m not saying that they’re not Indians or they’re not natives or they have no culture or they have none of that stuff but I’m just saying go get federally recognized and can you come back to the table.”

The next leaders of NCAI were also decided on, including the top position of president.

Mark Macarro, Pechanga Tribal Chairman, won that leadership role and will fill the place of outgoing NCAI President Fawn Sharp.

Marcarro, along with the next 1st vice president, secretary, and treasurer, will be sworn in on Friday as the convention wraps up in New Orleans.

PBS’ Native America had the last episode of its second season air this week.

For the Mountain West News Bureau, Dylan Simard reports the program received positive reception across the country.

Native America is a series that showcases the ways that native people are shaping modern American society – in science, sports, culture, and more.

Native Public Media has done some polling that shows the reaction in Colorado and Alaska has been extremely positive.

Loris Taylor is CEO of Native Public Media, a network of tribal public radio and television stations.

She says the show challenges stereotypes and gives Native Americans more representation in popular media.

“I think if you look at the ecosystem that we have, there’s a lot to share and Native Americans are just beginning to flex their storytelling arm – and it’s really wonderful to see.”

Taylor hopes that enthusiasm among the viewing public will lead to a third season.

Native Public Media and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, which produces National Native News, worked on events and conducted Native radio station outreach for Native America Season 2.

This week, a small delegation from the Cherokee Nation attended a U.S. Senate committee hearing on the nomination of Sara Hill to serve as a federal judge in Oklahoma.

Hill is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the tribe’s former attorney general.

The Cherokee Nation is supporting her nomination and advocating for it to move forward.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Some of the controversial amendments proposed at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) annual convention will be voted on Thursday.

One proposal seeks voting membership to be restricted to only federally recognized tribes and only citizens of federally recognized tribes to be eligible for an individual membership.

Another proposal is for board members and regional vice presidents to be citizens of federally recognized tribes.

As Rhonda LeValdo reports, while there’s much debate, not everyone wants to go on the record to share their viewpoints.

Currently, NCAI considers both state and federally recognized tribes as voting members of the organization.

Chief of the Shawnee Tribe Ben Barnes has concerns about the proposed amendment which eliminates the voting status to only federally recognized tribes, saying it diminishes the sovereignty of federally recognized tribes in NCAI.

“For the majority of these state recognized tribes that are members of NCAI, they have no Native ancestry, they’re not Native governments, so this creates problems for folks that are still seeking recognition and they’re legitimate, but NCAI has refused to deal with this issue and now its member tribes are left to take it up, and make sure that this passes.”

Several attendees at NCAI with various views declined to comment to National Native News about the proposal, but in an opinion piece in Native News Online, Lumbee Chairman John Lowery called the possible changes an “internal termination process that contradicts the founding principles of NCAI” and a slippery slope for the organization that could open up other tribes as targets including landless or non-treaty tribes.

NCAI is being held in Louisiana, a state with four federally recognized tribes and nearly a dozen state-recognized tribes.

Currently, NCAI has 145 tribal memberships and, of that number, 24 are state-recognized tribes.

For years, drought and development in the West have caused water shortages for tribes.

Now, a new institute aims to give tribes resources and training to advocate for their water rights.

The Mountain West New Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports.

It’s called the Tribal Water Institute.

Its goal is to help tribes navigate laws and policies, and recruit and train young water attorneys. 

The project was created by the Walton Family Foundation, a group working to protect rivers, and the Native American Rights Fund, a nonprofit law group in Colorado, where the institute will be based.

David Gover is a managing attorney and Pawnee and Choctaw.

He says helping tribes protect and assert water rights comes at a critical time.

“Climate change is impacting all of our communities, right? And there becomes more competition for that resource. And, of course, the states and industries are not waiting around, right? They’ll continue to find what they can and take what they can.”

He says the new institute will allow the fund to double its water staff to 14 members. 

The team will publish a semiannual report to educate tribes, policymakers, and attorneys about new and ongoing water rights cases and issues.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill late Wednesday night to avoid a government shutdown on Friday.

It has two expiration dates – one for funding programs for agriculture, energy, water, veterans, military construction, transportation, and housing through January 19.

The second has an expiration date of early February for the rest of the government.

The measure also extends the Special Diabetes Program for Indians through January 19 and the nation’s farm and food programs (WIC and SNAP) until September.

Congress is on break for Thanksgiving.

The bill was sent to the President for a signature.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Broadband access is a top concern among many tribal citizens across the country.

The topic was addressed at the National Congress of American Indians annual convention Tuesday in New Orleans.

As Rhonda LeValdo reports, attendees also discussed technology, and data collected, managed, and applied responsibly in Indian Country.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance was a packed session.

The session talked about how tribes could model after the Gila River Indian Community.

The tribe, located in Arizona, started its own telecom company.

Governor Stephen Roe Lewis talked about how he was impressed by seeing his own people being taught about the telecom industry and its economic impact, which he says can be helpful for other Native nations.

“This is a moment that could be a digital mover across Indian Country and it’s important that tribes and tribal leaders take advantage of this moment.”

Former Federal Communications Commission Chief of the Office of Native Affairs and Policy Geoff Blackwell talked about the importance of Digital sovereignty for tribal nations.

“You are preparing yourself to assert your sovereignty in the cyber world that you are beginning to understand, to address, all these areas – network, governance, participation, authority.”

Blackwell was recently announced as NCAI chief of staff, and told the audience NCAI would provide an outlet for tribes to get connected with ways to navigate how to get started with digital sovereignty. And, federal funding may also be a way for tribes to improve access to broadband. 

More than $9 million has been approved for a project incorporating Native American management practices for oak habitat restoration in Oregon.

As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, this includes cultural burns.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded the money, which will go to the Oregon Agricultural Trust and its partners.

Ka-Voka Jackson is a program manager for the EcoStudies Institute, one of the partners.

She’s done controlled fire operations based on how Indigenous people did for ages, blending ancient practice with modern methods.

“Use of cultural fire, traditional fire, on the landscape, which usually entails people who are trained or have the wildfire qualifications. That usually entails fire trucks or water resources, the use of drip torches, other hand tools.”

The project also seeks to permanently protect designated oak savannas and woodlands, and give Native Americans access to them for cultural use and environmental stewardship. The priority area for this project are Lane and Linn Counties.

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee/R-OK) made headlines after a heated confrontation with a witness during a hearing about unions Tuesday in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee.

The Senator from Oklahoma challenged Sean O’Brien, the president of Teamsters, to a fight during the hearing.

“(Mullin) Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth. We can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here. (O’Brien) Okay, that’s fine, perfect. (Mullin) You want to do it now? (O’Brien) I’d love to do it right now. (Mullin) Well, stand your butt up then. (O’Brien) You stand your butt up. (Sanders) Oh, hold on, oh, stop it. (O’Brien) Is that your solution every problem? (Sanders) No, no, sit down. Sit down. You’re a United States Senator. (O’Brien) Act it. (Mullin) Okay. (Sanders) Sit down please. (Mullin) All right.”

The exchange happened after Sen. Mullin held up several pieces of paper reading critical Tweets made from O’Brien at the Senator.

The two threw insults at each other for several minutes as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chair of the committee, tried to calm the situation and then proceeded to move the hearing forward.

Sen. Mullin, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and first Native American to serve in the Senate in nearly two decades, is a former MMA fighter and challenged O’Brien to a charity match next year.

In an interview on FOX News, Sen. Mullin defended his actions saying he’s a guy from Oklahoma and was responding to O’Brien.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

The Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, S.D. has settled one federal suit, but still faces two more.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene has more.

The settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and the owning family of the Grand Gateway Hotel and Cheers Lounge in Rapid City comes over a year after the beginning of the saga.

The suits stem from owner Connie Uhre’s 2022 efforts to ban Native peoples from the businesses after an act of violence.

This particular federal discrimination suit was brought by the DoJ after the incident and the settlement terms must be approved by the federal court for the District of South Dakota.

Under the agreement, Uhre will be removed from any role with the business for the next four year.

Additionally, the company will hire a compliance officer, train employees, and implement anti-discrimination policies while reaching out to South Dakota-based Native organizations.

Those trainings are required for all owners, directors, partners, and employees of the Retsel Corporation – the hotel’s parent company – and will center around Title II protections which prohibit race-based discrimination in hospitality businesses.

Further, a written apology letter was published by the company’s board, largely made up of Uhre family members, acknowledging all Native peoples are welcome in their businesses.

This letter will be sent to the presidents or chairpersons of each of South Dakota’s tribal nations and to 19 news publications around the nation.

The company has 60 days to comply with the terms of the settlement.

The two other ongoing lawsuits come from Indigenous advocacy network NDN Collective and a Wisconsin family, who both allege the hotel denied Native people service illegally.

Both of those suits are pending. Representatives from the Retsel Corporation did not return request for comment.

Tribal leaders from across the country are gathered in New Orleans for the National Congress of American Indians annual convention where they’re addressing top concerns.

This week, they’re hearing directly from government officials including from the Interior Department as Rhonda LeValdo reports.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Ojibwe) was at the convention in person to address attendees Monday and held a press conference in the morning.

He was asked by reporters about the conclusion of the Interior Department’s Indian boarding school “The Road to Healing” tour.

Asst. Sec. Newland and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland hosted the year-long healing tour, traveling across the country gathering testimony from survivors of Indian boarding schools, and helping connect communities with trauma-informed support.

The 12^th and final stop was held recently in Montana.

Asst. Sec. Newland was asked if the Interior Department would assist states in forming curriculum with accurate information and history of federal Indian boarding schools.

“The President, (U.S. Education) Secretary Cardona, and the Department of Education have been clear about curriculum standards and things like that. For us, what we want to make sure is that we’re doing an accurate truth telling about what happened and being accountable for it and planning to move beyond that. And once that information is out there and once we the federal government are accountable for it, it’s not going anywhere, and that will be accessible to everybody.”

“The Road to Healing” is part of Sec. Haaland’s investigation into the troubled history of federal Indian boarding school policies and impacts on Native people.

This week, NCAI’s agenda includes a Tribal Consultation by the National Endowment for the Humanities on boarding schools, and a National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition update.

Other issues Asst. Sec. Newland was questioned about by reporters included cannabis, tribal colleges and universities, land-into-trust, and the process for federal recognition status.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s farm in Connecticut is thriving since its establishment eight years ago.

Back then, the land was a largely unused wooded area near the reservation.

Edwin J. Viera has an update.

Meechooôk Farm is home to livestock and several greenhouses growing a bevy of crops.

Tribe Agricultural Director Jeremy Whipple spearheaded the project, and this year, the University of Connecticut Extension helped establish a youth engagement group for agricultural training.

Whipple says the training’s focus is to strengthen the tribal community and establish self-sufficiency.

“So we’re going to train the community – you know, it’s community-based. So, we’re trying to get the membership and everybody on the same page, on growing and bringing back our traditional roots for gardening in our culture.”

One aim is to teach the importance of good nutrition to members of the tribe dealing with health issues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded the project for an additional four years due to its success.

Whipple says he hopes to expand the farm, and will apply for grants to add a meat-processing facility and an event space for classes.

For now though, Whipple and his cohort of farmers are looking to add more greenhouses.

While some of the food grown at Meechooôk Farm is sold, most of it goes to a tribal food assistance program.

He describes how that program has gone so far.

“Right now, we have 180 members that are signed up for the program, and the grant reimburses the farm $70 a box that we give out. So that’s, you know – the USDA actually compensates us for feeding the community healthy food.”

Members of the Tribe receive a box of vegetables every two weeks during the growing season.

This story was produced with original reporting from Jeniece Roman for WSHU and a Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration.

The movie adaptation of David Grann’s book Killers of the Flower Moon premiered a few weeks ago.

It examines the Reign of Terror, the mass murder of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during the 1920s for oil money.

KUNC’s Emma VandenEinde reports on what some Osage people have to say about the film.

Many Osage people were impressed with how director Martin Scorsese reflected Osage culture in the movie.

Not only did he choose to film in Oklahoma, but he met with tribal members to ensure cultural accuracy – from the clothing to the language.

Some Osage people, like Colorado resident Tink Tinker, would have liked Scorsese to portray the movie from an Indigenous perspective.

“Unfortunately, he’s a white man who’s working with white money and selling our movie to a largely non-Native audience, so he couldn’t take the risk of putting the Osages in the center of the stage.”

It’s not the only criticism the movie has received.

Some think the nearly three-and-a-half hour movie is too long. But Tinker and other Osage people are happy the story is finally being shared, as many Americans are unaware.

Jay Kilbie Reed, another Colorado Osage person, says he’d often tell his family’s history to friends and be met with skepticism.

“Now I’ve had so many people that have texted me and been like, ‘This Leonardo DiCaprio movie is this the story you were telling me years ago?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes!’”

This movie is part of a recent rise in Indigenous stories and creators in the spotlight.

But Geoffrey Standing Bear, the principal chief of the Osage tribe, says action is key to keep lingering racism at bay.

“If you don’t say nothing, you just sit back and watch it, you’re complicit in murder. You’re complicit in what’s going on. You’ve got to understand, there’s a true story. And it can happen again.”

Standing Bear, along with other Osage people, hope this movie will serve as a catalyst for people to learn more about their history.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), vice chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, is holding a field hearing at Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel, Alaska on Friday.

It’s titled, “The Impact of the Historic Salmon Declines on the Health and Well-Being of Alaska Native Communities along Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim Rivers.”

Tribal leaders are expected to testify.

The field hearing will be followed by a public listening session.

Those who want to provide comments will have an opportunity to sign up on site.

It will be streamed online and broadcast on KYUK radio.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

In California, hundreds gathered at the state capitol for the dedication of a Miwok statue to replace the one of Catholic missionary Junipero Serra.

Christina Aanestad has more.

Tribes Indigenous to the Sacramento area, including Pomo and Miwok, gathered with California state lawmakers to unveil the new statue at Capitol Park of Miwok leader William Bill Franklin.

Jesus Torrango is tribal chair of the Wilton Rancheria.

“It is an important step in telling an honest account of what happened on this land. As you heard, the man portrayed in the statue is a Miwok-Aneeshnan leader, William Bill Franklin. His life epitomized the strength, honor, and commitment of California Indian people. The statue isn’t to just honor Grandpa Bill, because every tribe across this state has their own Bill Franklin – a leader who fought to keep our traditions and culture alive during a time when it wasn’t easy to be Indian, it wasn’t easy to be Indigenous.”

The statue replaces the one of Junipero Serra, the Catholic missionary who established the racist mission system that enslaved and indoctrinated Native Americans in California form of genocide.

“On July 4, 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd, the father of Junipero Serra statue that stood here since 1967 was toppled.”

The state’s only Native American lawmaker, State Rep. James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA), then introduced legislation to replace the statue.

It passed and Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed it into law one year ago.

Rep. Ramos commemorated the statue’s unveiling.

“Our people survived against great odds to be able to be here today, showing the resiliency of California’s first people. That’s why we’re here today to be able to unveil this monument to start the discussion about including factual curriculum about who we are and what’s being taught in the state of California.”

The Native American Development Council in Montana is hosting events for Native American Heritage Month.

Yellowstone Public Radio’s Orlinda Worthington attended a recent event in Billings and has this report.

On a chilly Montana morning, six Native Americans carrying tribal flags ran two miles to the Eagle Seeker Community Center in the middle of Billings.

They came from each of the four directions.

Tally Monteau with the Native American Development Corporation shares the significance.

“So in my tribe, we believe that the four directions ties back to our creation story and how there were four brothers and carries all our prayers coming from those four directions. And then it helps tie us to Creator and the environment and the world surrounding us.”

Sixteen-year-old Abbilee Runs Above came from the east, representing the Northern Cheyenne, Gros Ventre, Sioux, and Cree tribes.

“It was really a powerful experience. And throughout the running I was praying and wishing good thoughts for the new year. For like what I want to see come out of everybody.”

NADC has events planned throughout November with the goal of bringing the diverse tribes in the state and non-native Americans together, with Monteau adding, “We just want to celebrate who we are and express how proud we are as a people and really invite the outside community in and get this little glimpse and share our culture.”

Leonard Smith is the CEO of that organization.

He too feels the national month of recognition is an opportunity to find common ground among different cultures.

“For me it means unity among our tribes. And having pride in our past and then use it for the future of all of us.”

Billings is home to a Native American population representing over 60 tribes nationwide.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

As a part of a larger effort to reckon with its historical ties to slavery and other atrocities, Harvard recently held an event looking at its legacy of mistreatment of Indigenous people.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse reports.

Actor, comedian, and activist Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota and Dińe) is well-known for his role in the acclaimed series Reservation Dogs.

He did not mince words in his keynote at the Responsibility and Repair conference.

Harvard’s massive collection of Native American remains came up often.

“Y’all had the audacity to do a report, name a whole conference. Legacies, Indigenous, slave, indentured, and you still got bodies in the buildings… Man, you guys are saucy.”

He says the work that led up to Reservation Dogs taught him about the power of collective action.

“Accountability is not an individual task necessarily. When we’re talking about social injustice and the harm perpetuated by institutions. It is a collective task that we as individuals take responsibility for. Institutions like Harvard cannot undo the harm of the past until it stops the harm that it is doing today.”

The fourth season of the show Native Shorts, which airs on FNX TV and is presented by Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Films program, is now in production.

Jill Fratis from our flagship station KNBA has more.

The show focuses on short Indigenous films from around the world.

Bird Runningwater (Mescalero Apache and Northern Cheyenne) is film curator and host.

He has also worked with Sundance’s Native American and Indigenous Program for more than 20 years.

Host Ariel Tweto is Inupiaq. She connects with the everyday viewer asking questions that the audience might have about the film.

Tweto says they have a lengthy process to choose which episodes air on the show.

“I mean we wanted an array of films or genres, and so they’ll find a horror, a romance, comedy, something very abstract and so we want to get films from all over the place.”

From New Zealand, to Australia, to the Aleutian chains of Alaska, Indigenous filmmakers share stories of their cultures, and ways of life.

Tweto says she notices a lot of differences from one continent to the next.

“Just to see how other people live is I think really special. I’ve learned a lot just about different cultures from around the world. I think that’s really cool. Different ways of storytelling, how someone in New Zealand tells a story a lot different than someone say from Finland, and it’s cool to see the diversity.”

Tweto says Native Shorts is a great platform to showcase short films, when in the past, it was only shown at film festivals

“It’s so cool that we get to showcase the short films because there’s not really a platform for short films after festivals. Usually if it’s not in a festival, it’s just, I don’t even know where it goes, so this is just a really cool opportunity for us to showcase all these amazing indigenous filmmakers and actors and actresses. I’ve learned about different cultures from around the world.”

Production of this season will wrap up on November 14 with the series premiere on November 30 at 8pm on FNX.

Marla Ollinger says her son Justin Lee Littledog died of a fentanyl overdose at her ranch on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. (Photo: Tony Bynum for KHN)

The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a hearing on fentanyl and Native communities.

Senators will hear from tribal leaders and Native health experts about its impacts on tribal communities and also learn about some tools being used to address the crisis.

The hearing is taking place Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Wilma Mankiller is the newest addition to the Barbie Inspiring Women series.

Barbie is recognizing the Cherokee Nation leader in advance of her birthday on November 18.

Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

According to the Cherokee Nation, a special event to celebrate the release of the Wilma Mankiller Barbie is being scheduled for a future date in Tahlequah, Okla.

The doll is available for purchase online at the Mattel Shop.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Federal officials from the U.S. and Canada plan to meet with Montana and British Columbia tribes over coal mining pollution.

Selenium has for years flowed from B.C. coal mines into the transboundary Lake Koocanusa.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton has more on the meeting this month.

The U.S. State Department and Global Affairs Canada will meet with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Ktunaxa Nation on November 9.

The meeting aims to address selenium pollution coming from Teck Recourses’ coal mining operations along the Elk River.

The Elk River flows into Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River in Montana.

Selenium pollution is known to harm fish reproduction.

The tribes want the issue to be settled by the International Joint Commission, which handles transboundary water disputes between the U.S. and Canada.

CSKT Chairman Tom McDonald hopes IJC involvement would eventually lead to the closure of Teck’s mines.

“We would want to make sure that they’re going to immediately cease and desist from their actions that are causing an increase in pollution.”

The U.S. State Department has long said it supports IJC involvement.

Global Affairs Canada in a statement did not say whether it supports the move.

The meeting comes after President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a deal to address selenium pollution would come by summer’s end.

McDonald says it’s possible that a deal could be struck at this month’s meeting.

Kodiak’s Alutiiq Museum recently acquired a newly minted atkuk, a kind of traditional clothing.

As KMXT’s Brian Venua reports, staff say it fills a gap in their collections and they’re excited to share it with the public.

The atkuk is a type of traditional Alutiiq clothing.

It looks kind of like a black floor-length dress with red stripes and white fur.

Amanda Landcaster is the curator of collections at the Alutiiq Museum.

“The snow falling parka is what these are sometimes known as and when someone is dancing, wearing it, you see the ermine tails just sort of sway and it really does look like snow falling.”

The atkuk was commissioned by the museum about a year ago and staff received the new piece a few weeks ago.

Lancaster says it was made very similar to ones that have been worn since before western settlers came to Kodiak.

She says once they had the funding, they talked to a local artist to help them fill the gap in their collections.

“We have never had a traditional atkuk like this and there are garments like this in collections around the world that hold Alutiiq collections.
The commission was funded through the Rasmuson Foundation, which awards grants to Alaska-based nonprofits and tribes, local governments, and artists.”

Landcaster says commissioning pieces helps the museum have one of the most complete collections on Alutiiq culture in the world.

“It’s a really good chance to see what are the holes in our collection. Maybe there are Alutiiq cultural materials in other museums that we do not have that we would like to get versions of.”

Landcaster says adding to their collections will be a major help in continuing revival movements after historic suppression.

The Alutiiq Museum is currently undergoing major renovations though, so the public will have to wait to see the atkuk in person until they reopen in 2025.

The multi million dollar project will include a classroom for education opportunities and to expand their gallery to feature more of their collections on Native history.

The Chief of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians died this weekend.

KLCC’s Brian Bull has this remembrance of “Doc” Slyter.

Chief Donald “Doc” Slyter was fond of carving and playing Native American flutes.

He’s heard playing one of his creations in a 2018 recording for KLCC.

Brenda Brainard is a fellow tribal member, who worked with Slyter on restoring federal recognition for their people in the 1980s.

She says he battled cancer in his final years.

“What will always stand out to me with Doc was his smile. He just had the cutest, sweetest, little smile. And it kinda had a hint of impishness with it. But what I remember most about him was his quietness. He was very calm, he was a very humble man.”

Slyter was also a U.S. Army veteran.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR) said Slyter’s spirit and his memory “leave a legacy of resilience and hope.”

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our newsletter today.