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The intense manhunt for the prime suspect in a mass stabbing over the weekend in Saskatchewan is over. Myles Sanderson has died.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, he was facing murder charges linked to the stabbing deaths of ten people and the wounding of at least 18 others.

Most of the victims were from the James Smith Cree Nation about 120 miles northeast of Saskatoon. The community has been on edge and grieving since the stabbings took place early Sunday morning.

One of the suspects, Damien Sanderson, was found dead on the reserve the following day. The other suspect, Myles Sanderson, his brother became the target of a four-day manhunt across the province.

That ended Wednesday afternoon on a highway about 40 miles northeast of Saskatoon near the town of Rosthern.

“Our province is breathing a collective sigh of relief as Myles Sanderson is no longer at large. I can confirm that he is no longer a threat and that there is no risk to the public related to this investigation,” said RCMP Assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. 

After multiple tips from the public, officers stopped a stolen pickup truck and arrested Sanderson.

Video shared from the scene showed the truck in a ditch surrounded by police cruisers, with a police helicopter flying overhead.

Blackmore says it was confirmed that the driver of the truck was Myles Sanderson.

“He was arrested by police and taken into custody. Shortly after his arrest he went into medical distress. Nearby EMS were called by police to attend the scene. And he was transported to a hospital in Saskatoon. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”

On Wednesday evening, members of the James Smith Cree Nation gathered for the first wake since the attacks and there will be more in coming days.

As for the motive for the attacks, police say there may never be an answer.

The Oceti Sakowin Community Academy has officially opened its doors in Rapid City, SD.

The move comes just weeks after the public school district’s Lakota Immersion Program shutdown.

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

The first class of academy kindergartners was introduced to teachers Tuesday at the city’s first Indigenous-led and designed school.

NDN Collective, a Rapid City-based Indigenous advocacy organization, founded the academy.

NDN Collective president Nick Tilsen addressed the students.

“To all the little ones you might think – why are all these people here? Why did the drum come? Why did the elected leaders come? Why did all the grandparents come. They came here for one reason. And that’s for you. (Lakota language) It’s for you and for your future.”

The curriculum includes daily lessons in the Lakota language and reflects subjects including environment, identity, culture, sovereignty, and treaties along with general academic subjects.

Mary Bowman works with the NDN Collective education equity team. She has 15 years of education experience in the Rapid City area. She compared the academy’s vision with her own educational background.

“We learned in a very nurturing environment, and I don’t feel like it’s been that way for a long time. That wasn’t my experience in education, I graduated from the Rapid City Area Schools. I think the opportunity to see themselves in what they are learning is a big thing, they’re going to be motivated and engaged.”

Bowman questioned the school district’s efforts to sustain the Rapid City Lakota Immersion Program.

“We want to see our indigenous students do well, and we’re not waiting for somebody to do something. We’re getting out there and doing it. I think that effort was a half-hearted effort, and I think that’s part of the problem.”

Families interested in enrollment can find more information at ocetisakowinacademy.org.

 

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UPDATE: The second suspect Myles Sanderson died from “medical distress” after he was taken into police custody.

Meanwhile, as Dan Karpenchuk reports, the James Smith Cree Nation is still in shock and grieving after 10 people were killed and 18 wounded.

In the James Smith Cree Nation, 120 miles northeast of Saskatoon, relatives of the victims are grieving, many of them for Gloria Burns, a respected elder, and a first responder, who was killed when she took the call for help.

Here are reactions from some community members.

“My sister was a very caring woman. She had time for everyone and tried her best to care for everyone.” “This tragedy that happened on our land is because of drugs and alcohol.”

Police have still not been able to provide details about the motive for the attacks.  They say some of the victims appear to have been targeted, while others were selected at random.

Myles Sanderson has a lengthy criminal record. And according to a parole board document, he has a history of violent offenses, including assault. He now faces three counts of first degree murder, as well as attempted murder.

Meanwhile three of the victims remain in hospital in critical condition.

Members of the Apache Stronghold, a coalition of Apache people, other Native people, and non-Native allies, held a day of prayer Tuesday in San Francisco as they continue their fight to protect a scared site from a proposed copper mine.

They’re seeking a rehearing in their case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco against the U.S. to protect Oak Flat in Arizona from Resolution Copper.

Oak Flat is located within national forest land east of Phoenix, is a part of a land swap approved by congress in 2014 between the federal government and the company.

In June, the court ruled 2-1 in favor of the government’s decision to transfer Oak Flat to the company finding it does not burden the religious practices of Apache people.

Members of the Apache Stronghold say the sacred land is now on the chopping block and if mined, Oak Flat will be swallowed in a massive crater, ending their religious and traditional practices in the area forever.

The case is being considered for a rehearing in front of a full 11-judge court instead of the three-judge panel.

The Apache Stronghold is hoping this is a second chance to win the case before it goes before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Native POP recently showcased Indigenous music in downtown Rapid City.

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

Labor Day weekend brought Rapid City its first PopFest at Main Street Square. It was a full day of music across genres.

Lafawn Janis is the executive director for Native POP. She says there’s a value for providing performance stages to Native musicians.

“The lyrics are amazing, and it’s relevant to our lives. We brought in artists from around the country and had local artists as well. We all experience a lot of the same social issues. It was really cool to see, and it’s good for our youth to be able to see this.”

For Janis, she says there’s an emotional connection to the show.

“It just makes me smile from the inside out, I know that sounds cheesy, but it really does. It’s an honor to be able to create it and bring it for everyone here.”

One of the performers was Welby June. He describes his sound as soul music, and says engaging with art builds connections.

“It’s great to have this platform to help the local community see the different facets of native folk. That’s incredibly helpful in building community relations in Rapid City and around the area.”

Janis says Native POP hopes to make more musical events possible in the future.

 

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The manhunt for one of two suspects in a stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan is now in its third day.

The second suspect was found dead Monday on a reserve in northern Saskatchewan.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, 10 people were killed and 18 others wounded in the attacks on the reserve early Sunday morning.

 An intense manhunt for the two suspects, Damien and Myles Sanderson, began early Sunday morning after reports began coming in, to police of multiple stabbings on the James Smith Cree nation, about 120 miles northeast of Saskatoon.

Arrest warrants were issued for the brothers, both in their thirties, and the alert was extended to the neighboring provinces of Alberta and Manitoba.

Police investigators were looking at no less than 13 separate crime scenes on the reserve, as well as the nearby town of Weldon.

By Monday afternoon, the body of one of the suspects, Damien Sanderson, was found on the reserve. Here’s Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“His body was located outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined. We can confirm that he had visible injuries. These injuries are not believed to be self inflicted at this point.”

Blackmore says the other suspect Myles Sanderson is still the target of a manhunt. He faces three counts of first degree murder.

“Myles Sanderson may have sustained injuries. This has not been confirmed. But we do want the public to know this because there is a possibility he may seek medical attention. Even if he is injured it does not mean he is not still dangerous.”

Meanwhile condolences have been pouring into the James Smith Cree Nation from Native and political leaders across the country all describing the attacks as horrific and shocking. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called it heartbreaking.

“My thoughts and the thoughts of all Canadians are with those who’ve lost loved ones and with those who are injured. This kind of violence or any kind of violence has no place in our country.”

Trudeau also said he told leaders at the reserve that federal resources will be there in this time of crisis.

The Canadian flag at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, as well as those at all federal buildings in Saskatchewan, have been lowered to half mast.

The James Smith Cree Nation has asked for privacy.  Four of those injured remain in critical condition in hospital.

A federal district judge in South Dakota has declined to stop Lyman County’s November 2022 commission election, even though he found that it will violate the federal Voting Rights Act.

But to protect future elections, Chief Judge Roberto Lange has ordered the county not to alter its redistricting plan passed in late August until after the 2030 census.

Victoria Wicks has this report.

Judge Lange has issued a limited preliminary injunction for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in its battle for fair districting in Lyman County.

The tribe first approached the Lyman County Commission in October 2021 to break up the county’s single voting district that has historically resulted in the defeat of Native candidates, a system that violates the federal Voting Rights Act.

Almost 47% of the population of Lyman County is Native.

After almost a year of negotiations and court hearings, county commissioners approved an ordinance on August 22 that establishes a non-reservation district with three commission seats and a reservation district with two candidates to be elected in 2024.

An earlier proposal would have left the tribe waiting until 2026 for its second seat to be filled.

In his order issued September 2, Judge Lange said this latest ordinance is more palatable than the previous one, but it still leaves this November’s election in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

Lower Brule leaders wanted the 2022 election to be canceled, with a special election held in early 2023. Judge Lange said that proposal was not workable.

Judge Lange suggested that the 2022 election could be legally held by electing three of those six candidates, using the two new commission districts the county approved in August.

However, Judge Lange said neither party approved of that solution and both sides have now said it’s too late to make changes for the upcoming election.

To ensure federal protection of Native voters in future elections, Judge Lange enjoined Lyman County from modifying its new ordinance until after the 2030 Census.

 

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Native American National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Nicole Mann is part of the crew preparing to launch a U.S. commercial spacecraft to the International Space Station by the end of September.

This will be Mann’s first spaceflight since becoming an astronaut in 2013.

Mann is the NASA SpaceX Crew-5 spacecraft commander.

“I will fly myself and three other crewmates. We will launch from Kennedy Space Center in a dragon spacecraft, which is built by SpaceX. We will take a day or so to get to the International Space Station and we’ll stay on board for about six months to execute our mission. Our spacecraft will stay attached the entire time and then at the end of the mission we’ll come back home and we’ll splash down off the coast of Florida.”

The team will conduct more than 200 scientific experiments during the mission.

“Some of those are technology demonstration to help us further human exploration a lot of them are scientific investigations and research to benefit humans back on earth. So, because the space station is in microgravity there’s a lot of things we can do that that you simply can’t do on earth.”

Mann is Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in California and says she’s proud to represent Native people.

“I think your background and your heritage is an important part of who you are and your family and the community that brought you up. I think it’s also important to then share with our communities, what amazing things our people we grew up with are executing, and what they’re doing. Hopefully there are some young Native kids that are looking and see what amazing things, amazing opportunities that they have in front of them, and a lot of those barriers that used to exist are being broken down.”

Mann is responsible for all phases of flight from launch to re-entry. She’ll serve as an Expedition 68 flight engineer aboard the station.

Mann has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

She’s a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a test pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet.

The public can follow the SpaceX Crew-5 Mission at nasa.gov.

The Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico recently celebrated Miguel Trujillo Day to honor the Pueblo civil rights leader.

The Marine veteran and school teacher fought for Native voting rights in the 1940s after he attempted to register to vote and was refused.

The New Mexico Constitution held that “Indians not taxed” could not vote. Trujillo filed a federal lawsuit, which he won on August 3, 1948.

The court ruled New Mexico discriminated against Indians by restricting voting on the basis they paid state and federal taxes, but not private property tax on reservations. Trujillo set a precedent for the future of Native voting rights, which the Isleta Pueblo Voters Alliance continues to reflect on today.

“It’s just a beautiful story and it’s just refreshing now at this current day that we’ve had those leaders in place and we continue to have those types of Native leaders to amplify the voices of our people.”

Janice Lucero is a voting rights advocate and community organizer.

“Native folks and Indigenous communities are starting to step up to the table. We are starting to fight for what we know and that is our land, that is our water, that is our body and the more we get out to vote, we can be those change makers.”

Lucero says the alliance works on voter registration, voter education and advocates to get out the Native vote.

“There has to be a shift. There has to be a shift in how we vote, how we speak up, getting out there being educated. Do the research folks, find out who you align with, the values that’s so important do they align with your values? It’s important that we know those people are advocating for us. We don’t want outside people coming in and trying to take over and have their own agenda. Indigenous people have been here for years and we have our own agenda and that’s with the land and that’s with each other.”

The Isleta Pueblo Voters Alliance was founded by community members in 2020. The alliance co-hosted the event with the Pueblo of Isleta, Pueblo of Isleta Veterans Association, and the New Mexico Humanities Council.

 

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There is a first-of-its-kind agreement between the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.

The new arrangement helps the organizations work together more effectively.

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

The memorandum of mutual support is described as “historic” and a “force multiplier” for both offices, as violent crime rates continue to rise.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Kevin Killer says the agreement will tighten jurisdictional gaps.

“It’s going to mean people can feel safe at night and they can understand when the chief reaches out for partners he doesn’t have to worry about going through all these jurisdictional loopholes to get some arrest warrant once they flee the reservation. Because they know – they know once they leave the reservation it’s a different jurisdiction, and it’s a different relationship.”

Killer says the reservation’s public safety budget is $5 million a year, while Pennington County has a budget approaching $45 million, not including Rapid City.

Algin Young is the chief of police for the tribe. He says the agreement formalizes a long-term working relationship with the sheriff’s office.

“We’ve seen an increase in violent crime and we’ve seen a shortage in police officers – people wanting to be police officers. This is a force multiplier and us collaborating with the Sheriff’s office for public safety.”

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom says the agreement also respects tribal sovereignty.

“This agreement is an acknowledgement of the tribe’s sovereignty. It’s government to government, signing agreements. We’ll come when asked, we’ll do what you ask, we’ll leave when asked, it’s really that simple, but it gives us the ability to better protect our communities.”

The agreement acknowledges cultural differences between the communities and commits to develop an understanding between departments to better serve the public.

Five years after the passage of Senate Bill 13, which mandated teaching Oregon students about Native Americans, new curriculum materials are rolling out.

KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

K through 12 educational materials are being developed by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the state’s nine federally-recognized tribes.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians are the latest to roll out their curriculum.

“I know when I went to school, the only Indians we heard about was Sitting Bull.”

Delores Pigsley is the Siletz Tribal Chair.

She’s hopeful that by sharing her tribe’s history, culture, and practices, Native youth can feel empowered and visible, while non-Indians can appreciate their Indigenous neighbors more.

“I think it’ll be a challenge to teachers to adopt the curriculum, and to give it their best shot. So it’s gonna be important how it’s taught, and how it’s accepted.”

An ODE official says all nine sovereign tribes of Oregon are in different stages of development with their lesson plans.

Western Oregon University has announced it will offer in-state tuition to Native Americans.

The tuition is for undergraduate students who are enrolled members of any federally recognized tribe.

In-state tuition for 2022-23 is $8,730 for 15 credits. Out-of-state tuition is more than $28,000.

The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma is hosting a special reception on Saturday to celebrate the opening of its newest exhibit, “We Are Cherokee: Cherokee Freedmen and the Right to Citizenship.”

The exhibit at the tribe’s national history museum examines the history of slavery in Cherokee Nation.

Stories, images, and documents of Cherokee Freedmen are featured, alongside nine original artworks by Cherokee Nation artists.

The exhibit is part of the Cherokee Freedmen Art and History Project, established in 2020, which seeks materials and stories to broaden Cherokee Nation’s understanding of Freedmen.

 

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Democrat Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) learned Wednesday that she’s won Alaska’s special election for U.S. House and will become the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress.

“Yeah, I will have that distinction but I think what’s most important is that I’m an Alaskan and sent to represent all Alaskans. And yes, being Alaska Native is part of my ethnicity, but I’m much more than my ethnicity.”

The Bethel resident is a former state House representative from rural western Alaska. She is the former director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

Her region is heavily dependent on salmon, but is suffering another year of abysmal returns.

With 51.5% of the vote in the state’s first ranked choice election, she defeated former Gov. Sarah Palin who was three percentage points behind.

The term she’s won ends in January.

Peltola will have to beat Palin again in November for the next House term.

University of North Dakota President Andrew Armacost has apologized to Native communities and expressed regret that the university has the remains of ancestors and sacred objects.

In March, faculty and staff approached him with information that they found hundreds of containers of sacred items during the course of their work on campus.

They also found human remains believed to be partial skeletal remains from dozens of individuals.

After the discovery, the university reached out to tribal nation.

The university has now been collaborating with more than a dozen tribes for more than four months to make sure repatriation efforts are handled properly.

During a press conference Wednesday, Armacost took responsibility for the university’s mistakes and committed to tribes that they’ll work diligently until all ancestors and sacred items are returned home.

He says they also want to make sure Native Americans on campus have support.

“The awareness of this work will allow us to have open conversations with the students, faculty and staff at UND about the importance of repatriation and our commitment to see it through. Yesterday, we held two open sessions for our American Indian campus members. The first was with faculty and staff the second was with students. Please know this is a traumatic time for them.”

Counseling services are available on campus.

Laine Lyons, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, is a member of the repatriation committee.

“We are so grateful for the help, guidance and trust we have been given by so many. At the start of this process we felt anger, hurt, sadness, however we can now feel a sense of relief and hope because our ancestors will be returned to their rightful place and that’s home.”

The university plans to hire cultural resource consultants to help with the process and is working with government agencies to make sure they follow federal law. The repatriation work could take years.

A champion archer is competing in Italy for the U.S. and the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Chickasaw citizen Shiloh Butts is competing in the Rinehart World Archery 3D Championships.

Shooting in the bi-annual event has been a goal he’s pursued for the last four years.

He’ll be one of 24 Americans representing the United States. The event kicks off September 4.

 

 

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A bill to create a system to notify the public when an Indigenous person goes missing was approved Tuesday by California state lawmakers.

The “Feather Alert” (AB 1314) bill was introduced by Native State Rep. James Ramos (D-CA).

The bill is intended to help get the word out as fast as possible when an individual is missing or endangered.

Creating an alert system was a recommendation from tribal leaders. The bill creates the Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) when a Native American is at risk.

Currently, law enforcement agencies use the EMA system to investigate when a child or at-risk person goes missing.

The system asks for immediate information from the public to help in a swift recovery.

Here’s Rep. Ramos talking about the bill this summer at the state capitol in Sacramento.

“The rates of murdered and missing people in Native American communities is a shameful state and national tragedy that does not receive the scrutiny and attention it deserves. We are excited about this alert system, but even more excited about the growing momentum the momentum to tackle this issue not only from Indian Country by non-Native people, the California Highway Patrol, as well as the state legislature.”

California has the greatest population of Native Americans in the nation. And Rep. Ramos says the state also has the highest rates of reported cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people pointing to a number of studies.

The bill to create the alert system is expected to head to the governor’s desk this week.

Navajo Nation officials recently held a public forum to address the continued impacts of radiation exposure on tribal lands in the Southwest.

As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, Congress recently extended a federal compensation program for people known as downwinders.

Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation updated attendees on the status of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).

President Joe Biden signed a two-year extension of the law this summer just before it was set to expire.

Officials say it’ll allow more time for lawmakers to craft a long-term version of the law designed to last until 2040.

Tribal officials want the updated program to cover more diseases, and a broader array of workers and residents along with raising the amount of compensation.

At the forum, leaders also heard from tribal members who described the harmful impacts of radiation exposure on themselves, their families, and communities.

For more than three decades, RECA has awarded one-time payments to people who lived downwind of the Nevada Test Site or worked in the uranium industry from 1942 to 1971.

Tribal leaders and others say the legacy of uranium mining on tribal lands has been devastating as many downwinders have developed cancers and other debilitating health problems.

The U.S. government conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests between the end of World War II and the early 1960s.

Tens of thousands of workers, including many tribal members, mined and processed uranium for the program and were unknowingly exposed to large amounts of radiation.

The Institute of American Indian Arts is hosting a celebration of New Mexico’s Indigenous comedians on September 16 in Santa Fe.

It’s being held as the CloudTop Comedy Festival takes place during the week.

CloudTop is a nonprofit organization promoting world-class and up-and-coming comics.

It provides professional support, workshops, networking, and the annual festival.

Four Indigenous comedians will be taking part in the event.

 

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Higher education advocates for Native students say President Joe Biden’s loan forgiveness program will help Native students, but doesn’t address long-standing financial obstacles.

As Aaron Bolton reports, Biden recently announced that people under certain incomes will have up to $20,000 of their student loans forgiven.

Dave Sanders is the vice president of research at the American Indian College Fund, which provides scholarships for Native students.

He says loan forgiveness will help many students go back to school if they never finished and make it plausible for many to accomplish other life goals like buying a house. But it doesn’t resolve the disproportionate barriers Native students face.

“So, you’re still going to have issues of access as well as issues of affordability going through the system.”

A recent report compiled by Native scholarship funds found that Indigenous students drop out of college at nearly double the rate as their peers in part because they can’t afford tuition and other basic needs like housing and food.

Among many possible solutions listed in that report, Sanders says schools could help Indigenous students pay for things like books or waive various fees for housing and health care. He adds the federal government could find ways to offer more grants to help students cover those basic costs.

Navajo Nation officials are offering condolences to the family of Kiarra Gordon who was killed in an accident over the weekend.

The 17-year-old was among students on a field trip.

On their return home, their bus was rear ended by a semi-truck on Interstate 40 in Arizona.

Six other students were reportedly injured in the crash.

Funeral services for Gordon are pending.

The tribe is offering counseling services this week for students, teachers, and staff.

Alaska experiences some of the highest rates of suicide in the nation. Hannah Bissett from our sister station KNBA reports on a prevention program focused on young people.

In Alaska, a large community of people are trying to bring awareness and decrease suicide rates by holding educational meetings, events, and presenting in schools to teach the youth about the warning signs of someone that may be suicidal.

Bill Pagaran is Tlingit and Filipino and works as a president of a nonprofit in Palmer, AK called Carry the Cure.

Pagaran says that the idea of Carry the Cure was created after he played with a symphony in a village school in northern Alaska.

After the music stopped, the principal of the school told the students to go up to the musicians.

Many of the children came up to Pagaran, who played the drums.

“Until I gained healing until I embraced who I was as a child in god, as a Tlingit until I embraced those things, it was just, ‘What could I do?’… and I just thought, gosh, if there was any way that I could bring hope for kids like me, kids like I met in that village, other people around the world, if there was anyway I could bring hope so that they could live another day.”

He created the nonprofit to tie spiritual, cultural, and clinical practices of healing to help save youth.

He also says a large part of the mission is to visit every village in Alaska with their Committed to Life suicide prevention program.

“Our main program is a suicide prevention program for the public, school assembly, and public presentations called Committed to Life. So we give people reasons to live. That’s the whole deal, giving people hope. Giving them practical tools, clinical tools, cultural tools, spiritual tools, reasons to commit to life”

The Committed to Life program is structured to be fun and full of games.

According to Pagaran, it is like a “Native-style ‘Tonight Show.’” In the presentations, there are Indigenous dancers from many cultures including Yupik and Cree.

“We use that as a way in saying, ‘This is who we are’ and it’s important to embrace that as apart as our message in committing to life”

After the dancing, he starts a presentation on addressing identity.

During the presentation, many illustrations drive home the message of identity.

When the presentation ends, participants make a vow of Commitment to Life.

“We just make this verbal commitment to make a commitment to life. It goes like this: ‘We make a commitment to life and pursue my purpose. Whether times are good or bad, whether I have money or not. Even when I’m sick. When I am alone or lonely, I choose life.’”

Other non-profit organizations work to educate the public of various tools, recognizing warning signs, and reduce suicide rates in Indigenous youth in Alaska.

 

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The state of Utah is suing the Biden administration for restoring the size of two national monuments reduced by former President Donald Trump.

In a joint statement, Utah’s political leaders say the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments are simply too big to be properly managed by the federal government, and that they draw unmanageable numbers of visitors.

They further allege Biden’s move does not comply with the Antiquities Act, which states that land protected by the law should be “confined to the smallest area” necessary for the care and management of the land.

The Hill reports groups allied with the administration argue presidents have historically used the law to protect important landscapes such as the Grand Canyon, and that the monuments need to be preserved and protected from threats like oil and gas extraction.

The state’s Attorney General filed the suit on behalf of Governor Spencer Cox, other state officials and the entire congressional delegation.

President Trump reduced the monuments by more than 2 million combined acres in 2017.  Biden then restored the original boundaries a year into his presidency.

He referenced tribal rights when restoring the areas, calling Bears Ears a place of healing that is “revered” and “sacred” to several tribes.

The Biden administration signed a historic cooperative agreement with five tribes to co-manage the monuments.

Tribal gaming has rebounded substantially despite the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing in a record $39 billion of revenue in 2021.

That’s according to numbers from the National Indian Gaming Commission. It’s up 13% over 2019, and 40% over 2020, marking a record single year increase.

In a press release, NIGC says all areas showed some positive growth since reopening after pandemic-related closures brought on the largest decrease of revenue on record.

But the NIGC recognized the industry rebounded strongest on the coasts, and that rural tribes are still struggling to get back on their feet.

NIGC chairman Seqouah Simermeyer says the organization will continue to provide support to struggling tribes, offering training and applying regulatory lessons that have worked in other areas.

Tribal gaming accounts for more than 40 percent of all gaming revenue nationally, which comes to $92 billion total.

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are celebrating the return of burial lands.

Danielle Kaeding reports nearly 200 Ojibwe graves were removed from the burial grounds on a strip of land in Lake Superior.

The tribe settled on the sandbar stretching nearly three miles along Lake Superior as early as 400 years ago.

By the mid-19th century, Chief Joseph Osaugie was leading a small but thriving community there. But, in 1918, Osaugie descendant and Superior native Lorrie Madden says the community and the remains of her ancestors were wrongfully removed.

“They took 198 graves and they moved them by scow down the Nemadji River to St. Francis Cemetery where then they put them into graves there.”

The remains were reburied elsewhere to make way for U.S. Steel’s plans to put up ore docks that were never built. And the removal was paid for with federal funds intended to benefit tribal members.

Now, the city of Superior has returned the tribe’s sacred burial sites.

Fond du Lac Tribal Chairman Kevin Dupuis searched for words to capture the feeling of the moment.

“I just want to go in the woods. I think I should be at Wisconsin Point right now, or St. Francis Cemetery, telling them that what we did.”

Now, Dupuis says their people can finally be left to rest.

The last member of an uncontacted Indigenous group in Brazil has died.

Authorities found his body in a hammock outside a straw hut. Officials say it appears he died of natural causes.

The BBC reports the man’s name is not known but outsiders referred to him as the Man of the Hole because he was known to dig large holes to hide in or to capture animals.

He had not been contacted by outsiders for nearly three decades but officials monitored his whereabouts for his own safety.

He was the last of a group whose other six remaining members were killed in 1995, presumably by ranchers, miners, or loggers wanting to expand their land.

 

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Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez confirms the first case of monkeypox on the reservation. The infected person  lives in McKinley county, NM.

A press release says vaccines for the virus are expected to come in next week.

Health officials recommended vaccines only for people who have had close contact with someone who is infected, or for those especially at risk.

President Nez established a Monkeypox Preparedness Team in July that has been monitoring, planning, and coordinating precautionary steps in advance of the virus’s arrival.

It can take between five to 21 days for symptoms to develop, which start with muscle aches, fever and exhaustion, before a rash develops. Those who test positive should isolate and contact their doctor.

A federal ethics investigation concluded former Trump Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his chief of staff lied during an investigation into the department’s decision to block two tribes from opening a casinos.

The report, released Wednesday, says the Office of the Inspector General found Zinke spoke with a senator from Nevada, consultants, and lobbyists for a rival casino before deciding to block the tribes’ application.

When questioned by the OIG, however, Zinke denied speaking with anyone other than staff at the Interior Department.

The Montana Free Press says the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes wanted to open a casino in Connecticut on non-reservation land, which would require approval from Interior.

But the report says Zinke chose to return the application to the tribes, saying the decision was not within his jurisdiction.

The report focused on whether or not Zinke and his Chief of Staff Scott Hommel accurately described the influences on their decision.

This report comes on the heels of a similar one released in February that found Zinke had also misled investigators about a personal real estate deal with the chairman of oil giant Halliburton in Whitefish, MT.

Zinke is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Montana this November and denied any wrongdoing in a response from his lawyers.

He also asked the OIG to not release the findings until after the election.

His lawyers say the timing of the OIG report is nothing more than a political smear.

A federal appeals court ruling says Wisconsin can’t force tribal members to pay property taxes on reservation land that once fell out of tribal hands.

Danielle Kaeding reports the court ruled the state can’t tax tribal members on reservation lands that have changed hands without clear approval from Congress.

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by four tribes in 2018 against the state and around a dozen towns.

The case was brought by the Red Cliff, Bad River, Lac du Flambeau, and Lac Courte Oreilles tribes.

Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson Senior says the ruling is a big deal as tribes buy back lands.

“For us here on the reservation, it might be two or three years of taxes, some of the time 10-15 years of taxes that we’re paying on this land before the BIA gets it put back in the Trust for us. So that’s going to be a money saver for my tribe.”

The tribes argued the 1854 treaty that set up their reservations provides tribal members immunity from taxation for all time.

The state maintains it could tax lands on reservations if they were ever sold to non-tribal members.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers says they’re reviewing the decision.

The state has 90 days from the ruling to decide whether to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

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