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A new poll shows strong support for establishing a permanent ban on uranium mining on a million acres surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.

As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, tribes, environmental groups and elected officials are pushing for the ban to protect water and land.

The survey conducted by the Washington DC-based firm GQR shows broad bipartisan support for the protections.

Nearly 70% of the likely Arizona voters polled in June wanted to see a permanent ban on new uranium mining, with an overwhelming majority of Democrats in favor as well as nearly half of Republicans.

Conservationists and area tribes have fought mining near the Grand Canyon for decades and say it contaminates water resources and further endangers the Colorado River.

The Havasupai Tribe, which lives in the Grand Canyon, says it threatens sacred sites and their sole source of drinking water.

Carletta Tilousi is a former Havasupai councilmember and environmental justice advocate.

“We just want a clean water. We just want a clean place to live, and our small tribe, we just want to be left alone. We just want to live in peace and not be out there like this begging for our lives and begging for clean water.”

The Obama administration put a 20-year halt on new uranium mining claims on more than a million acres near the Grand Canyon in 2012.

Now, the U.S. Senate is considering the Grand Canyon Protection Act, which would make that ban permanent. The U.S. House has already passed the bill.

The mining industry contends that modern uranium extraction methods are safe and don’t pose a danger to the environment.

The California Indian Education Act was passed by state senators Wednesday, which encourages public schools to create a task force to share tribal history and culture – and develop classroom materials.

The measure, AB 1703, was introduced by Native American State Rep. James Ramos (D-CA).

Rep. Ramos says it’s critical to teach students about the diversity of California’s more than 100 tribes, which all have different languages, customs, culture, and history.

During a meeting with tribal leaders, Native educators, and students last year, Rep. Ramos talked about the importance of pushing legislation forward.

“Working together, as one body, working together in a coalition, we’re going to be able to make a change in the state of California. We have an opportunity as California Indian people. It starts with our elders, and those who have vision with education and teaching the people who we truly are as California Indian people.”

The measure was created after a classroom incident last year at a high school in Riverside, when a viral video showed a math teacher dancing, chanting, and wearing a faux headdress while teaching.

Rep. Ramos says tribal curriculum is needed to avoid more incidents like the one involving the Riverside teacher.

He stresses the importance for local educators to collaborate with tribes and materials that are created to be shared statewide.

The measure is supported by tribes, education associations and school districts.

It was approved on a bipartisan vote of 37-0, making the bill a step closer to the governor’s desk.

The Yurok Tribe in California is celebrating salmon and the reintroduction of the condor on Saturday during the annual Klamath Salmon Festival.

The tribe is also recognizing the pending removal of dams as part of river restoration efforts.

The festival includes music, traditional games, basket weaving demonstrations, a smoked salmon contest, and other events.

In May, the tribe and partners started the release of condors, which had been absent in the area for more than 100 years.

An energy company, along with states and federal regulators, are expected to sign off on the removal of four dams on the Klamath River.

The removal is expected to have a positive impact on the waters and fish.

More details on the event’s Facebook page.

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President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on Tuesday. President Biden says it delivers on the administration’s promise to meet the climate crisis and help working families.

The Inflation Reduction Act tackles climate issues with a focus on clean energy, bringing down energy costs, and reducing pollution. Additionally, it seeks to lower health care costs and tax high-income people and large corporations.

President Biden says it’s one of the most significant laws in history.

“We are in a season of substance. This administration began in a dark time in America, a once in a century pandemic devastating joblessness, clear and present threats to democracy and rule of law, doubts about America’s future itself and yet we’ve not wavered. We’ve not flinched and not given in, instead we’re giving results for the American people. We didn’t teardown, we build up.”

During a tribal broadband announcement last week, Vice President Kamala Harris talked about the Inflation Reduction Act investing in tribal communities.

“We will fund climate resilience and adaptation programs help tribal communities, address the climate crisis. We will provide emergency drought relief to tribal communities across the west. We will electrify homes across Indian Country and we will help tribes build wind and solar projects to lower the cost for Native families.”

Harris says while they tackle climate issues, the administration will rely on Indigenous knowledge in protecting the earth. Democrats are praising the law as Republicans are strongly opposing it. Not one Republican voted for the bill.

Unofficial results in Alaska’s special election Tuesday night for U.S. House show Democrat Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) in the lead.

Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich are coming in second and third.

Results will not be known until later this month when the last ballots are counted.

The winner will serve out the rest of Rep. Don Young (R-AK)’s term until January. Young died unexpectedly in March.

All three candidates are also running for the seat in the general election and are expected to advance.

Follow election results here

A groundbreaking ceremony was held last weekend in western New Mexico for the National Code Talker Museum on the Navajo Nation.

As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, this year marks the 80^th anniversary of the creation of the group who used their Native language to help win World War II.

The ceremony near the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock was attended by Code Talker and former tribal chairman Peter McDonald. He’s one of three members of the elite group of soldiers who are still alive.

Navajo President Jonathan Nez and other military and elected officials also attended the event that took place on National Navajo Code Talkers Day.

The state of New Mexico in 2019 provided $1 million to the Navajo Nation for the construction of the National Code Talker Museum.

The U.S. recruited more than 400 Navajos to become Code Talkers during World War II. They used their then-unwritten Native language to create an unbreakable code for military communications, confounding the Japanese.

The Code Talkers participated in all battles led by the U.S. Marines in the Pacific between 1942 and 1945 including Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal and are credited with helping turn the tide of the war.

For more than two decades, the Code Talkers’ role was classified, but they’ve since become revered heroes both on the reservation and elsewhere.

A separate event was also held in Phoenix to mark the 80^th anniversary of the creation of the Code Talkers.

Thomas H. Begay, another one of three surviving Navajo Code Talkers, spoke at the event.

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A lawsuit initiated by the Lower Brule Tribe against Lyman County in South Dakota could be complicated by a recent case on the U.S. Supreme Court’s emergency docket. Also referred to as the “shadow docket,” it allows justices to resolve an issue temporarily until a case can have a full hearing.

In early 2022, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote an explanation for why he sided with the majority to stay a lower court ruling in an Alabama voting rights case. In his writing, he raised the bar for plaintiffs claiming violations of the Voting Rights Act.  Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan each wrote a dissent.

One of the lawyers for Lower Brule says the authority of these writings is a debate for legal scholars, but she says even under Kavanaugh’s more stringent test for a voting rights challenge, the tribe is on solid ground.

Victoria Wicks is following developments in South Dakota and has this report.

Samantha Kelty is a staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund. She represents Lower Brule in its attempt to get Lyman County to change its districting in time for the November 2022 election. 

Kelty says Justice Kavanaugh’s decision demands that voting rights plaintiffs seeking an injunction must be able to prove that the merits are clear-cut in their favor.

What’s not clear is whether that demand has standing to replace the previous standard, that plaintiffs prove they’re likely to succeed on the merits.

Kelty says she is thankful that Federal District Judge Roberto Lange confirmed in his August 11th order that the Lower Brule Tribe meets those stricter standards.

In his order, Judge Lange gave Lyman County seven days to come up with a more equitable districting plan to be put in place by November, rather than relying on the old single-district plan that dilutes the vote of tribal members.

Samantha Kelty says it’s not unreasonable to expect the county to implement the two-district plan it proposed as a compromise and that has, at least for now, been approved by the tribe.

“And the reason for that was because the county had already drawn up the two-district plan, they had already finalized the maps, you know, they had already voted on it and decided that that was a plan that they liked.” 

Lyman County officials testified at a hearing last month that they wouldn’t be able to adjust voting software and confirm tribal addresses in time to redistrict and print ballots. But Judge Lange said in his order that using the previous single-district plan violates federal law.

Navajo Nation officials recently declared a state of emergency following heavy flooding.

As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, it was triggered by monsoon rains that impacted homes and washed out roads on the reservation.

The Navajo Commission on Emergency Management recently made the declaration after flash flooding impacted homes and roadways.

According to Navajo President Jonathan Nez’s office, the move activates emergency plans and will allow local chapters to access additional resources for recovery.

Nez says emergency response personnel have been out in communities seven days a week and health workers have been going door-to-door providing support for elderly residents and those with health conditions. It wasn’t immediately clear exactly how many residents had been impacted.

In addition, the Navajo Division of Transportation is continuing to repair roads that were damaged in the flooding. July and August are some of the wettest months in the Southwest and for the 27,000-square-mile reservation that covers parts of northern Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Photo: UCLA Library Special Collections

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather for the abuse she faced at the 45th Academy Awards.

Littlefeather stood on stage at the 1973 awards, refusing the Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando in recognition of the mistreatment and misrepresentation of Native Americans by the film industry.

In a statement of reconciliation in June, the academy apologized and acknowledged the emotional burden she faced and the cost to her career.

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A federal judge has ordered Lyman County, SD to come up with a plan for the November elections that gives the Lower Brule Tribe a chance to elect its preferred county commissioner candidates. 

The tribe has been negotiating with the county to establish Native majority districts.

The commission came up with a compromise, but says it can’t comply until the 2024 election because of time constraints.

Federal District Judge Roberto Lange says that would leave a plan in place for 2022 that violates the federal Voting Rights Act.

Victoria Wicks reports.

For 30 years, Lyman County has been one voting district with five at-large commissioners.

That set-up clearly violated the federal Voting Rights Act because it diluted the vote of Lower Brule citizens, about 40% of the voting population.

To rectify the federal violation, Lyman County decided to establish two voting districts, one of them containing a Native majority and two commission seats.

But county officials said they couldn’t implement the new plan until 2024, and so Lower Brule filed a federal lawsuit to force the county to act in time for the November 2022 election.

At a federal court hearing in late July, county officials testified that they needed to reconfigure software and verify addresses of Native voters who use P.O. boxes or partial street addresses.

But Tribal Manager Tim Azure testified that the Lower Brule reservation contains primarily HUD housing, which has established addresses.

In an exchange with Michael Cotter, one of the lawyers representing Lower Brule, Azure said the tribe has the ability to match 911 addresses to physical locations, but the county had not reached out to the tribe for help.

COTTER: “The county has indicated that it may have a few hundred addresses to verify. How long would you expect it to take the tribe to verify that many addresses?” AZURE: “I think it would probably take us eight to sixteen hours.”

On August 11, Judge Roberto Lange granted the tribe’s request for a preliminary injunction and gave Lyman County commissioners seven days to come up with a remedial plan or have the court create one for them.

The Canadian government has apologized to a Saskatchewan Cree Nation for what’s being described as an assimilative colony scheme.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the crown Indigenous relations minister delivered the national apology on behalf of the federal government.

The Peepeekisis Cree Nation was at the heart of a federal scheme that breached treaty agreements by setting up an experimental farm colony that took over the community’s land and helped to assimilate Indigenous people.

It was called the File Hills Colony Scheme and between 1897 and 1954 participants in the colony were chosen for the experiment after graduating from residential schools and industrial schools.

They were forced to work on the community farm and were not allowed to return to their home communities where they originally lived.

Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller.

“At the time Canada claimed, wrongly, that this scheme would enhance agricultural productivity. But we now understand that this was an experiment that was invasive in nature and an experiment in radical social engineering.  And for this we are deeply sorry.”

The apology was welcomed by the Peepeekisis chief and council.

Many of the band members had been trying, for years, to get that apology as well as compensation for the wrongs linked to the colony.

The band accepted a $150 million settlement in August of last year.

Many members are still searching for answers about their origins and with identity issues.

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The Biden-Harris administration on Thursday announced more than $140 million in awards to bring high-speed, affordable internet to tribal communities in New Mexico through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

Vice President Kamala Harris says she has spoken with tribal leaders across the country about the need for high-speed internet.

Harris says the administration is committed to making investments in Indian Country.

“Our administration’s vision is to connect all Native communities with the internet and with the opportunity that comes along with access to affordable internet. The opportunity to live healthier, happier and more prosperous lives, and we will continue to fight every day to make that vision a reality.”

The Pueblo of Isleta was awarded $26 million in funding.

Isleta Governor Vernon Abeita says the pandemic heightened the need for the internet as schools, health care, and jobs went online. He says internet service is expensive for community members, and although the Pueblo is about a 15 minute drive from Albuquerque, service is unreliable.

“Through all of this infrastructure money we are getting we will be able to provide these types of services to our communities for education, health care and economic development and the ability to have some programs work from home, small businesses work from home using the broadband that we can provide for our communities.”

According to the administration, additional awards will be announced this month for tribes across the country, including in Alaska, Nebraska, South Dakota, Arizona, and California.

Bootcamps are bringing people together to learn about tribal broadband. This week, one was held at the University of Oregon in Eugene. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

At the Ford Alumni Center, about 50 people watch presentations on network development, funding, and cable crimping and splicing.

Matthew Ballard is with the Shinnecock Indian Nation, based in Long Island, NY. He says historically, Native people have been left behind in technological initiatives, hampering tasks.

“Basic things like paying bills, interacting with our governments, being able to start new businesses, and reach our customers. So it is important for tribes to be here to keep on the leading edge of technology and make sure we’re not falling further and further behind.” 

Matthew Rantanen is a Cree tribal member and boot camp organizer.

“Our biggest goal is to bring people together because they become a human network, right? We’re talking about broadband networking but we have now a human network of people that they can rely upon for resources, troubleshooting and things, and they know they’re not doing this alone.”

The pandemic has especially driven tribes’ needs for broadband.

Last week, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Spokane Tribe, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and conservation groups made an agreement with the Biden administration to continue a pause in litigation over dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Aaron Bolton has more.

The groups had previously agreed to pause the litigation over restoring salmon and other native fish species to the two rivers.

The Biden Administration last week announced a commitment to collaborate with Pacific Northwest tribes to restore salmon and native fish populations while also delivering hydropower to the region.

According to a release by EarthJustice, the agreement will pause the lawsuit for another year, but any of the parties involved in the litigation can make a motion to resume legal action.

Tribes and conservation groups say they will do so if the Biden Administration doesn’t take action in a timely manner.

California Native Americans will share their culture with lawmakers and the public at the State Capitol in Sacramento on Monday.

The Third Annual California Indian Cultural Awareness event at Capitol Park is sponsored by Native American State Rep. James Ramos (D-CA).

Native cultures from around the state will be celebrated.

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Last year, we reported on how the Coquille Tribe was using a special electrified boat from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to remove invasive bass.

KLCC’s Brian Bull has an update on how that effort is being doubled.

Last summer, the ODFW’s Gary Vanderohe explained how his agency’s boat worked, as he took us up the Coquille River. 

“We have a generator that’s underneath the seat, and then there’s a box in the steering console that converts the electricity, which is an AC electricity into a DC electricity, which is a little bit easier on the fish, it just kinda stuns them.” 

This year, through a 100-thousand dollar grant from the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde, the Coquille will soon have their own craft.

Helena Linnell, biological planning and operations manager for the Coquille Tribe, explains why it’s vital to remove bass. 

“They’ve been here for over a decade, and they are having decimating effects on salmonids. So fall Chinook and other salmon species.” 

The tribe expects to have the boat delivered next year, so they and the ODFW can double-team the invasive bass. 

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, who’s seeking another term in office, announced his running mate this week during a campaign event in Window Rock, AZ.

His pick is Chad Abeyta for vice president. Abeyta is an Airforce Veteran and an attorney.

During an announcement event streamed live on social media, Abeyta talked about his qualifications and vision for the administration if they win.

“I bring to the table leadership skills, critical thinking and I plan to use creative solutions to addressing a lot of these things. And I’ll be in support of President Nez and his platform and I’d like to continue the work that he’s doing so far.”

Nez received the most votes for president in the primary election.

The second top vote getter was Buu Nygren who also announced his running mate this week.

Nygren chose Richelle Montoya, a local community leader and school board member, for vice president.

If they’re elected, Montoya would be the first woman vice president of the Navajo Nation.

During a campaign event also held in Window Rock, AZ and streamed live on social media,

Montoya says she has strong matriarchs – past and present. 

“Nine sisters that brought my teaching, my prayers, my songs to who I am today. I have no doubt in what they taught me. I have no doubt in that I can stand here and be a running mate for Dr. Buu Nygren. I have the strength of my ancestors.”

Nygren says his campaign is about the voices of the people and a lot of people across Navajo land expressed the need for women leadership in the president’s office.

There were 15 candidates running for president in the August 2 primary.

Voters will head to the polls to pick their next president during the general election in November.

The Navajo Nation is one of the largest tribes in the United States with the largest reservation spanning the Four Corners region.

Pueblo leaders are condemning the defacement and desecration of cultural property in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

The All Pueblo Council of Governors, which represents 20 Pueblo Nations in New Mexico and Texas, recently received notice from the National Park Service of vandalism and damage to a Kiva.

Pueblo leaders are calling for improved management of the area for preservation of sacred landscapes and for the public to stop desecrating traditional cultural properties.

The latest incident at the monument marks the fifth known such vandalism to Indigenous cultural properties in the area.

Pueblo leaders are seeking a complete investigation and the strengthening of co-management procedures to help prevent more incidents like the latest one.

Photo: Corey Coyle

The National Indian Gaming Commission on Wednesday released 2021 Indian gaming revenue numbers totaling $39 billion, an increase of 40% from 2020.

According to the commission, it’s the highest in Indian gaming history.

The latest numbers show many tribal gaming operations have found ways to rebound from the pandemic.

The calculations are from financial statements from 510 gaming operations owned by 243 federally recognized tribes in 29 states.

More details on www.nigc.gov.

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A Native woman who went missing in Canada has been found safe in the U.S. and is now facing charges in both countries.

Police accuse Dawn Walker of faking her own disappearance along with her 7-year-old son.

Walker was reported missing more than two weeks ago in Saskatoon.

Police say multiagency searches were conducted and evidence led to a wide-reaching investigation tracing Walker and her son to the U.S. Walker was located last week in Oregon and taken into custody.

She’s now facing felony and misdemeanor charges in the U.S. including false use of identification of another person.

Charges in Canada include abduction and public mischief.  

Walker sent a handwritten statement to CBC News saying she left Saskatoon fearing for their safety and was failed by the justice system and child protection. 

She didn’t name the person she was fleeing, but has previously made domestic violence allegations against her ex, the son’s father, the CBC reports.

During a press conference this week streamed live by APTN National News, reporters asked Saskatoon Police if domestic violence was involved and was part of the investigation.

Deputy Chief Randy Huisman: “I can say two things in regards to that. Number one, it may or not play into this investigation. And number two, is any potential or any previous allegations made by Dawn Walker were thoroughly investigated and no charges resulted as a result of those investigations.”

Walker had her first court appearance this week in the U.S. Canadian officials are working on extradition.

She could face additional charges in Canada as the criminal investigation continues.

Her son was placed with a legal guardian and returned to Canada last week.

Meanwhile, Walker’s family and supporters are rallying for her return to Canada.

They’re raising funds for her legal defense. 

A fundraiser says she’s a published author, playwright, community leader, and advocate for the rights of Indigenous women, families, and communities.

Molina Healthcare of New Mexico is offering traditional healing, counseling, and support services to people impacted by the Gallup parade incident last week, when a SUV drove through the city’s intertribal ceremonial night parade.

Molina is offering the support services in partnership with a Navajo nonprofit dedicated to traditional teachings and ceremonies.

The healthcare is being offered for free to both Molina members and non-members.

Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial events are continuing through the weekend, including a day parade on Saturday.

City officials announced this week a new parade route to help ensure safety of participants and spectators.

The parade downtown will be closed off with no parking access. 

The annual ceremonial events celebrate Indigenous culture.

The night parade is a fan favorite and was tainted by an alleged drunk driver who plowed through parade barricades hitting several people.

Molina Behavioral Health Crisis Line 855-597-1427.

The state of New Mexico offers a 24/7 lifeline for emotional, mental, or substance use distress by dialing 988 or 988nm.org.

The Interior Department on Tuesday announced members of the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names.

The group will help identify and recommend changes to derogatory terms used in places across the U.S.  Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is leading efforts to change derogatory names. 

The agency is engaging with tribes, state and local governments, and the public.

The people named to the committee represent tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations – and include expertise in civil rights, history, geography, and anthropology.

Members from federal agencies are also part of the committee.

The 17-member committee is expected to meet in the coming months and will then meet about two to four times a year.

Meetings will be open to the public and announced in the Federal Register. 

A separate task force was previously created by Sec. Haaland and is focusing on changing a derogatory word used against Native women, which includes hundreds of places within federal lands.

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Indigenous leaders in Alaska are voicing frustration after two parents sued Ketchikan’s school district over the use of tribal values within a local school. And the meaning of one particular value is prompting disagreement.

KRBD’s Raegan Miller has the story.

Posted in hallways and classrooms at Ketchikan Charter School are posters listing the 14 Southeast Traditional Tribal Values. One of those values, “reverence for our creator,” is now at the core of the lawsuit filed by parents Justin Breese and Rebecca King.

They are suing Ketchikan’s school district and Ketchikan Charter School for posting the values in school common areas.

Breese says it’s a violation of the First Amendment and Alaska’s state constitution.

“We don’t think that the school district should be speaking to any type of spiritual or religious type value, those types of values are things that are best passed down in a family, where your parents teach the students about their religious and spiritual beliefs. And that’s not the place for the government to step in and teach those kinds of spiritual and religious values to students.”

But when Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska President Richard Peterson looks at the list of 14 traditional tribal values, he doesn’t see anything exclusive to one religion.

He says there’s no common religion for Indigenous people in Southeast Alaska and the meaning of “reverence for our creator” is different for everyone.

Peterson says he’s open to a conversation about it, but he says a lawsuit is the wrong approach.

“You know, it’s hard not to feel like this might have some bearings in racism. I don’t like to leap to that conclusion. But, you know, it’s hard to find when you go down this list of values, where we can’t all, no matter what our cultural background, find a way to connect to those.”

The lawsuit was filed in Ketchikan Superior Court July 25.

Ketchikan’s school district has yet to respond in court.

A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Jamie Yazzie, a Navajo woman who went missing in 2019.

Last week, authorities arrested Tre C. James for the alleged murder.

Yazzie had been fatally shot and was found on the Hopi reservation in Arizona in 2021.

She was listed as a missing person by tribal and federal law enforcement.

James was indicted on first degree murder charges and domestic violence charges against three victims between 2018 to 2021, including suffocation, kidnapping, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

His detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona is handling the prosecution.

Prosecutors say they’re committed to addressing violence in Native communities and issues of missing and murdered Indigenous people, including by working closely with tribes.

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in New Mexico is commemorating the anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt this week with in-person and virtual events.

The Pueblo Revolt, which took place on August 10, 1680, was a successful uprising by Pueblo people against Spanish colonization.

The ICC is reflecting on the history with a number of events, including a library blog, a Pueblo Book Club meeting, a lecture, and a yucca knotted cord demonstration.

The cord helped Pueblo communities coordinate the timing of the revolt against the Spanish.

The Native uprising is credited with helping ensure the survival of Pueblo culture.

More information on the events can be found at www.indianpueblo.org.

Tribal leaders are set to talk to California state lawmakers in Sacramento on Tuesday about water access and Native rights.

More than half a dozen leaders are expected to attend a hearing in a joint session by the water, parks, and wildlife committee and the Native affairs committee.

Tribal leaders say colonization, the taking of their ancestral lands, and jurisdiction issues have impacted accessing adequate water supplies for their people.

State and federal officials are also expected to attend the hearing.

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Tribal leaders, city leaders, and state officials in New Mexico met Friday to discuss how to work together and heal the city of Gallup and surrounding reservation communities after an act of violence last week tainted the city’s annual summer celebration of Indigenous culture.

On Thursday, an SUV drove through downtown streets during the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial night parade causing panic as people rushed to find safety.

Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty was at the parade.

She’s calling on the city to update its emergency-disaster response plan, and for the city and state to deploy a crisis response team to help people deal with emotional distress from the traumatic event.

“Those children were visibly crying and shaking, those families were doing the best that they could, our elders who did not have the mobility to move quickly and as a community we supported them. And as we walked back, our veterans who were triggered who were telling us ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him.’ We have to acknowledge that pain.” 

Crotty says she will not be attending any more ceremonial events. Other Native leaders echoed that sentiment, saying many people do not feel safe and are hesitant to go back to Gallup.

The ceremonial will continue with events through August 14.

Gallup is also a spot where people from the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo travel to for essential services.

During the more than one hour meeting, which was held both in-person and online, city, and state officials vowed to work on responding to the incident and look at future emergency response plans.

New Mexico State Police announced it will have an increased presence at ceremonial events and is encouraging the public to report any concerning activity to police.

The driver from last week’s incident at the parade, Jeff Irving, was arrested and is facing a number of charges including aggravated DWI.

Two passengers were also detained by police.

Police say there were no fatalities, but 15 people were injured including two police officers.  

With new voting maps for Montana’s Legislature to be revealed soon, Native communities are being encouraged to watch the process closely. Eric Tegethoff has more.

Billings-based Western Native Voice wants the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission to respect tribal sovereignty in this process.

One of the commission’s goals is to keep communities of interest, such as tribes, intact.

Ta’jin Perez with Western Native Voice says that’s important, as well as ensuring that people in the Legislature come from these communities.

“Candidates of choice are from your community and that these communities should be able to have the opportunity to elect someone that shares their values and shares who they are and the unique history and the unique cultures of these tribal areas.”

The commission has scheduled nine public meetings so that Montanans can comment on the maps at the end of August and in September.

Perez says Montana has an independent redistricting commission and that it’s done a good job of ensuring the Legislature is proportionally representative of the population of Native Americans in the state.

He says the independent setup of the commission has many upsides, including that it’s not beholden to the governor or lawmakers.

“An entire Legislature – their voice is intended to be just as loud as that of the public because of this independent commission that we have. Other states don’t enjoy this kind of thing.”

Perez says voters should be engaged in this process.

“Representation that reflects communities as they are is important, and the only way that a body like the redistricting commission can do that is through public comment.”

The deadline for the redistricting plan is the tenth day of the 2023 legislative session.

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A celebratory event turned terrifying for parade goers at the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial on Thursday night in New Mexico.

A SUV drove through the night parade in downtown Gallup causing people to rush to find safety.

Videos posted across social media show people watching cultural dances moments before the vehicle plowed down the street. People are seen scrambling to get out of the way.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez was walking the parade route.

In a live video message after the incident, Nez says they were in the path of the vehicle and were all able to quickly get out of the way.

Nez says his family, team members, and others who were with him were not physically hurt.

“This is just evil creeping into our communities. We’re all shook up. I was just feet away from this vehicle as it drove through the streets. And I’m sure a lot of people are angry a lot of emotions happening right now. I’m angry, but we also have to pray and think about our relatives and I appreciate everyone’s concern.” 

Nez urged people to check on family and friends attending the parade and for those who need support to call the 9-8-8 resource help line or the Navajo Nation Department of Mental and Behavioral Health.

According to New Mexico State Police, the driver is in custody and multiple people were injured including two Gallup Police Department officers. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

The night parade is a fan favorite of the annual ceremonial, which attracts locals and international guests to the reservation border town.

The Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial features Native arts, culture, food, and traditional and contemporary presentations.

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann (Photo: NASA)

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.

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