Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Anchor: Antonia Gonzales

Tribes in California are preparing for the implementation of the Feather Alert, which alerts the public when an Indigenous person goes missing.

The Feather Alert notification system is similar to the AMBER or Silver Alerts, which are used when children are abducted or missing or when seniors are missing.

Tribal leaders, state lawmakers and others recently gathered in Coarsgold, CA to share input on the Feather Alert.

State Rep. James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA) co-sponsored the bill for the alert system. He says the roundtable was an opportunity for leaders to hear from each other, law enforcement, and others invested in addressing the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

“This implementation roundtable discussion is meant to start to build this relationship, meant to build the questions that could be out there. How do we interact? How does it get implemented? It’s vital to hear firsthand from tribal leaders, tribal chairs, the issue that still drastically effects all California Indian people.”

Ramos says California is the state with the greatest population of Native Americans in the nation – and is also among states with the highest rates of reported cases of MMIP.

The new Feather Alert system is intended to help law enforcement act more quickly in notifying the public – and to help produce leads to find missing individuals.

The Feather Alert bill was supported by a number of tribes, law enforcement groups and Native health organizations.

The public notification tool rollout will take place in January.

Photo: Jim Morefield

The whitebark pine, which populates 80 million acres of the mountain west, is now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports on the newly afforded federal protections.

The whitebark pine is crucial to the Northern Rocky Mountain Ecosystem.

Its seeds are a key food source for several species of birds and for threatened grizzly bears.

It also helps preserve high-elevation mountain snowpack into the spring and summer months, but scientists estimate that a nonnative fungus and other threats have eliminated up to half of the species.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes celebrated the move to provide federal protections, saying the tree is “part of our first foods and culture.”

The tribes and conservation groups hope the tree’s protected status will bolster efforts to plant fungus resistant trees across the mountain west.

The charitable arm of the Three Rivers Casino has made an open call for non-profits in several Oregon counties to apply for over a million dollars in grant money.

KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians established the Three Rivers Foundation 11 years ago.

It distributes casino profits to other groups in need.

Coordinators are encouraging non-profits in Lane, Curry, Coos, Lincoln, and Douglas Counties to apply.

Some government agencies and federally recognized tribes in Oregon are also eligible.

Shelby Erickson is the foundation’s grant administrator.

“We typically look at different priorities when we receive applications such as education, health, public safety, problem gambling, the arts, the environment, cultural activities, and even historic preservations.”

Erickson says food shares and Boys & Girls Clubs have been recurring applicants.

Last year’s total grant distribution was $1.4 million and she expects this year’s amount to be similar.

Grant applications are due December 31.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Anchor: Antonia Gonzales

The Montana Board of Environmental Review is asking federal regulators to invalidate a water quality standard aimed at reducing pollution flowing into Montana from Canadian coal mines.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton has more.

In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the governor-appointed Board of Environmental Review is once again claiming the Lake Koocanusa selenium standard is invalid.

The pollution standard sets rules for how much selenium is acceptable in the lake. The toxin is known to harm fish reproduction.

State environmental board officials earlier this year voted to overturn the current rule, saying it didn’t follow federal standards.

However, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA have kept it in place, having previously approved the pollution standard.

DEQ said the board doesn’t have the power to invalidate the rule and that its claims don’t merit review by the agency or the EPA.

The EPA said in a statement to MTPR it’s reviewing the board’s letter.

Teck Resources’, which owns the Canadian coal mines that are the source of selenium pollution, and Lincoln County commissioners have pushed the environmental review board for over a year to invalidate the standard.

This comes as tribes from Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia push for International Joint Commission involvement under the U.S.-Canada Boundary Waters Treaty to stop pollution from the mines.

The Watersmeet Township School District in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is bringing Ojibwe language and culture into the classroom.

WXPR’s Erin Gottsacker spoke with school leaders about the changes and what they mean for the school’s majority American Indian population.

When Alina Shively was a student in Watersmeet, her Ojibwe heritage was largely ignored in the public schools.

“It was actually kind of unheard of for any of our language or culture to be acknowledged on a daily basis.. Everybody knew we were Native kids and where we lived in town and where we were from, but it was never really embraced.”

But this year, that’s changing.

The school district is working with a consultant for Native American best practices to better include its indigenous students – who represent nearly 80% of the school’s student body.

“Want to make sure that everyone feels welcomed and appreciated at the Watersmeet Township School District.”

That’s George Peterson III, the district’s superintendent.

He says some of the changes the school is implementing are small – like including Ojibwe greetings in daily announcements.

“Every morning, we’ve added to our morning announcements boozhoo, which means hello, and then when she closes, she says miigwech, or thank you.”

Teachers are also making a concerted effort to include Ojibwe language and history in their lessons.

“It’s pretty eye opening for everyone to see what that culture has gone through and the way they were treated. It’s pretty sad really. We want to help them get through that, and the way to do that is we have to teach them about it and move on from there.”

For Alina Shively, who is now the historic preservation officer for the Lac Vieux Desert tribe and a mother of three, these small changes represent a monumental shift from the time her parents attended an American Indian boarding school.

“Education hasn’t been a fun experience in my family history. I can say that is really changing for my kids and all of our kids.”

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Anchor: Antonia Gonzales

Lake County commissioners Monday proposed an ordinance to withdraw from an agreement to provide law enforcement services on the Flathead Reservation.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton has more.

The state, Lake County, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes opted into the federal law known as Public Law 280 in the 1960s.

The law requires Lake County to provide law enforcement services on the reservation, but county commissioners say the state isn’t paying for the cost of those services, estimated at $4 million annually.

The Lake County commissioners’ resolution says their attempts to get the state to pay for those costs have fallen on “deaf ears”.

In a statement, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) spokesperson Brooke Stroyke says the governor’s office has tried to help the county find solutions, but wrote “The legislature, not the governor, has the authority to fund PL 280.”

Gianforte signed a bill passed by the state Legislature in 2021 to reimburse Lake County for law enforcement costs under PL 280. The bill appropriated $1 for that reimbursement.

That bill also allowed Lake County to withdraw consent to enforce criminal jurisdiction on behalf of the state.

Lake County Commissioners say local taxpayers can’t afford to pay for the law enforcement services and that the county will withdraw from the agreement early next year, forcing the state to pick up the work.

The county will take public comment on the resolution January 3 before officially voting on the measure.

CSKT spokesperson Shane Morigeau said the tribes decline to comment on the matter.

By Jill Fratis, KNBA News

The film “The Wind and the Reckoning” was one of the highlights at this year’s Anchorage International Film Festival, where it won first place in the narrative feature category.

The film has been recognized for its authentic portrayal of Native Hawaiians.

It’s set in the 1800s just as colonialists overthrow the queen and take control of the land.

“The Wind and the Reckoning” takes place in the height of a leprosy outbreak, when Hawaiians suspected of having the disease are banished and forced to separate from their families.

The film’s based on a true story about a rebellion against the provisional government – one that’s not well known, even among Hawaiians.

Stuart Featheran plays Paoa, one of the Hawaiians who was arrested by the government. He says it’s a story about love, strength, and a passion for justice – and for him, the movie is more than playing a role, but a responsibility to share the story.

“It’s even deeper than that. As well as it’s like our duty. Like we have to do this. And it just grows deeper and deeper with us.”

Featheran says the movie is an immersion experience in Hawaiian language, history and culture.

“The Wind and the Reckoning” has won numerous awards for its cinematography and storytelling.

At the San Diego film festival, it was selected as the “Audience’s Choice.”

An Indigenous language that has been suppressed by the British government for the past three centuries is now legal, following approval by King Charles this month.

Seo McPolin reports from Dublin, Ireland.

The Identity and Language Bill was negotiated by the Irish and British governments two years ago, but it wasn’t approved until this month by royal assent.

For the first time in history, the Gaelic language now has official status in Northern Ireland, the six counties controlled by the UK.

The bill also repealed a 1737 law which banned the use of Irish in British courts.

The next step is implementation through the appointment of two commissioners, one for the Irish version of Gaelic and the other for its Scottish counterpart.

A longtime language activist called the new law “historic” and said Gaelic’s community of speakers have been discriminated against and marginalized.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Anchor: Antonia Gonzales

Over the weekend, the Native community in Lawrence, KS received a public apology from two people charged for their involvement in the vandalization and theft of a Native American art exhibit at the University of Kansas Spencer Art Museum in 2021.

As Rhonda LeValdo reports, the incident was hurtful to Native students on campus and at the nearby Haskell Indian Nations University.

A crowd gathered in front of the Spencer Art Museum on the University of Kansas campus as two non-Natives apologized for destroying the “Native Hosts”, an outdoor art installation by Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne, Arapaho).

The panels are metal signs that include the names of the Kaw, Potawatomi, Ioway, Ne Me Ha Ha Ki, and Kickapoo tribes.

One of the defendants, John Wichlenski, talked about how he has learned from the incident.

“We didn’t know the nature of the signs, it’s no excuse of what we did, but we’re grateful for the opportunity to really be here and work with some phenomenal people. They are very open armed with us, and welcoming and nice, kind, cordial, and we think that is a great mix between us and them. Hopefully create some peace and spread awareness, and hopefully continue on a path to become allies of the cause.”

KU’s First Nations Student Association wrote in a statement: 

“This exhibit was intended to draw attention to issues of Native sovereignty, colonial dispossession and respect and honor for Indigenous peoples upon whose land KU’s campus occupies. Native exhibits are incredible tools for creating conversations and drawing attention to our history and the value we bring to our areas of study and our interactions with the community at large.”

Haskell students were in attendance for the event – and Skyler LaBahe would have liked to been able to ask questions. 

“They should have heard what we went through, our personal point of views, but they just closed it and took off.”

Both Wichlenski and Samuel McKnight will do a presentation at the KU First Nations Powwow in Spring.

For two others accused in the incident, their cases are to begin in January 2023.

The leaders of two southern Arizona tribes have been appointed to a new federal advisory council focusing on border security and other issues.

As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, they’ll be involved in U.S. policies that impact Indian Country.

Tohono O’odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr and Pascua Yaqui Tribe Chairman Peter Yucupicio were among 15 people appointed to the Tribal Homeland Security Advisory Council earlier this month.

They’ll offer guidance to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on cybersecurity, law enforcement, emergency management, domestic terrorism, and border security.

Officials say their experience will be crucial in efforts to keep Arizonans safe and strengthen nation-to-nation relationships.

Collectively the two chairmen represent more than 564,000 tribal members and 178 villages and village corporations.

Officials say the advisory group will allow the federal government to utilize the broad base of knowledge and expertise of Indigenous people as it relates to homeland security.

In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that classifies the Tohono O’odham Shadow Wolves as special agents.

According to officials, it allows the elite border patrol unit made up of Indigenous trackers known for their ability to track drug smugglers and human traffickers, to better investigate and secure the border.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Anchor: Antonia Gonzales

Tribal, state, and federal officials hailed the removal of four dams along the Klamath River near the California-Oregon line this week, as a major step toward restoring a once-thriving watershed.

Christina Aanestad reports.

It was a decades long battle, but soon, removing four dams along the Klamath River will open up hundreds of miles of wild river habitat to salmon, a fish that is sacred to nearby Native American tribes.

“My dream is to not only bring the salmon back, but bring back a way of life.”

Karuk Chair Russ Attebery was among the tribal, federal and state leaders who gathered to celebrate the largest dam removal project in the country.

Work begins next year, completion set for 2024. But Attebery says more work will remain for decades to come.

“There are ways we can actually restore those creek and streams that feed our rivers and plants and understand mother natures way and
combine ecological knowledge and knowledge of observation from generation to generation with modern science. That’s the best way to
go.”

Removal of the dams will also return California’s second largest river to a free flowing wild river for the first time in more than a century.

Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman via Flickr CC

A bill to stop the export of sacred Native American items to other countries recently passed the Senate.

Aaron Bolton has more.

The Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony or STOP Act, passed through Congress last week.

The law will prohibit the export of tribal cultural items that were obtained illegally.

Doing so could result in fines or up to a year in jail for first time offenders and up to 10 years for second-time offenders.

The bill had been introduced in Congress for years and had previously passed the senate, but never made it through both chambers until now.

It’s unclear when President Joe Biden will sign the bill into law.

A rocket loaded with a cluster of communications satellites lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Thursday.

They’re part of OneWeb’s efforts to create a worldwide network of low earth orbit satellites.

The rocket is carrying 40 satellites, the most it’s ever sent into space at one time.

OneWeb’s Katie Dowd says this latest expansion could be a game changer for some of Alaska’s most isolated communities, with little or no internet access.

She says her company already serves a few communities in Southwest Alaska and hopes to add more.

“Today’s launch will allow us to not only strengthen service and also expand coverage but also expand coverage.”

Chris Cropley, oversees the Tlingit and Haida Central Council’s tribal broadband program.  He says his tribal government serves about 20 communities in Southeast Alaska, and while fiber optic cable is normally the preferred option, it’s too expensive to reach many small, isolated villages.

“It’s gonna take more billions of dollars than are in the entire federal budget to bring fiber to everybody – where with satellites, they can bring broadband to the world.”

Cropley says his tribal government has about $60 million from the federal government to spend on broadband projects over the next four years. And while that may sound like a lot, it’s not when you consider Alaska’s challenging geography.

Lesil McGuire represents OneWeb in Alaska and says federal money for tribal broadband helps put tribes in the driver’s seat.

“Prior to that, I think tribes were relegated to the back seat, where decisions would be made by companies, and they would hope they would be benefiting, but not always.”

OneWeb says it’s planning three more satellite launches next year, which will allow the company to offer global services.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Anchor: Antonia Gonzales

An Oglala Lakota woman will lead a position to coordinate resources to find missing and murdered Indigenous people.

The South Dakota Attorney General’s office is announcing the hiring of two women to address the issue, as well as human trafficking.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger has more.

Indigenous people make up a disproportionate number of missing person cases—about 60% in South Dakota, alone. Many of those cases can get lost between jurisdictions.

Allison Morrisette’s new job is to bring the state and various tribal nations together to solve those cases.

Morrisette, who worked in the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s office, says the position is needed.

“Being able to capitalize off of the past relationships that I’ve built within the Native community and across the state, I’m excited to network more and to get organizations, law enforcement agencies, non-profits, everyone to the table so we can target this issue.”

After a series of delays tied to funding a Native nonprofit announced it would fund the first three years of the position in the state. Democratic Representative Peri Pourier brought a bill to establish the position nearly two years ago. She says the position is off to a promising start.

“There’s a lot of hope, no pressure, but there’s a lot of hope in this position. There’s many people across South Dakota who want to see this position successful.”

Attorney General Mark Vargo is also announcing the hiring of a human trafficking coordinator. He says Mary Beth Holzwarth will build on the efforts of various survivor networks for those who’ve been trafficked.

Holzwarth spent 13 years with an organization dedicated to preventing child sexual assault.

Vargo says the two positions are linked.

“We all face some of the same problems and we have to face them together. It is my hope that these two women will be a huge step toward ensuring that we’re united, and we’re coordinated and that we’re doing everything that we can for our citizens.”

Vargo says the next step is to establish an advisory group of state and tribal law enforcement, leaders and community members who are closest to the problem.

In California, tribal leaders are joining State Rep. James Ramos (Serrano-Cahuilla/D-CA) and law enforcement Wednesday to learn about the implementation of a new law, which alerts the public when a Native person goes missing.

The Feather Alert notification system is similar to the AMBER or Silver Alerts, which are used when children are abducted or missing or when seniors are missing.

The new Feather Alert system is intended to help law enforcement act more quickly in notifying the public and produce leads to help find missing individuals.

The discussion will be held in Coarsegold, CA between 9am-3pm PT and is available to join via Zoom.

The Interior Department has announced new policies and procedures that aim to make consultation between the federal government and tribes more interactive and transparent.

Under U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), the new policy will require department staff training prior to tribal consultation.

The new policy also outlines specific goals for consultation with Alaska Native Corporations.

The announcement follows a few others from the Interior Department in the last month regarding the allocation of millions of dollars in climate change funding to tribes nationwide.

Bryan Newland (Ojibwe) is the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

”These investments first and foremost reflect president Biden’s commitment to Indian country, but it’s also a reflection of Secretary Haaland’s leadership here.”

At least two reports from the Government Accountability office in the last four years have chided federal agencies for inadequate consultation with tribes.

The Interior Department’s announcement was made during the 2022 Tribal Nations Summit, held last week in Washington D.C.

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