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Leaders from the Red Earth and Shoal Lake Cree Nations in Canada are urging people to keep children safe as they mourn the loss of a 5-year-old boy who went missing in April.

Frank Young was found in a river 81 days after he went missing on the Red Earth Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. He was last seen playing outside.

His family (from both communities), Native leaders, and police held a press conference this week, streamed live by APTN National News.

They talked about the young boy’s life, the investigation and next steps.

His grandmother Teresa Whitecap says he loved preschool and was excited to start kindergarten in the fall.

His favorite cartoon to watch was “PAW Patrol”.

“Frank was always eager to go to school and on the home setting his favorite was PAW Patrol. He had some toys with PAW Patrol and he loved playing with siblings that were staying with him.”

Shoal Lake Cree Nation Chief Marcel Head says the communities will hold child safety awareness campaigns as part of efforts to avoid another tragic event from happening again.

“We live in a day where things are very challenging. It doesn’t take long until we find ourselves in a very hard predicament and that’s why we need to pay close attention and keep our children, keep a close eye on our children. We beg you to keep your children safe.”

Police say even with extensive searches of the area and the use of technology, they could not overcome the natural environment where the boy was found.

Barriers for searchers included high water levels, which covered land and created dangerous conditions.

Police say the investigation will continue. They do not suspect foul play.

Services started on Wednesday on Red Earth and will continue on Shoal Lake on Thursday and Friday where Frank will be buried.

Leaders say donations, which came in to help support search efforts, will be used to create a memorial on Red Earth.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs passed the nomination of Roselyn Tso to serve as director of the Indian Health Service.

Tso, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is currently the director of the Navajo Area IHS.

Committee chair Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) says Tso is well qualified to serve in the position, noting her efforts to help tribes with the COVID-19 pandemic and her dedication to improving health care for Native communities.

The IHS director is charged with leading the agency, which provides care to more than two million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Tso’s nomination passed the committee by a voice vote and is now ready for consideration by the full Senate.

The agency has been without a director since January 2021 after the former leader resigned as the new presidential administration took office.

Minnesota state officials on Wednesday announced the appointment of Tadd Johnson to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

Johnson is the first Native American ever appointed to the board.

The board was established more than 170 years ago.

Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan says Johnson will give a voice to Native students and his appointment was made possible by advocacy by the Native community.

Johnson recently retired from working in higher education and is currently working for a Minnesota tribe.

He’s an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band, an attorney and has a long list of accomplishments in his career including tribal judge, gaming commissioner, public TV producer, and work in Washington.

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Young people on the Colville reservation are working on a project to revegetate forested areas devastated by fire.  Three major fires have burned on the Colville reservation in the last seven years. Steve Jackson reports.

The tribal students are partnering with the Washington State Extension Service in a unique way to spread seeds from native plants.

“Pinch and turn, pinch and turn, until you have a bowl. You’re going to take a pinch of potting soil, just a pinch, you don’t need much. This is going to give a bit of nourishment to the seeds while they grow.”

That’s from an instructional video showing how to make seed bombs. Not really bombs in the traditional sense. They are actually a mix of clay, soil, and native plants, says Linda McLean from WSU Colville Reservation Extension.

“The seeds lie in wait for the water to sprout them, and then they’ll grow, and then they’ll get reestablished and develop a diverse plant life area in the burn area. So, we want more plants to control erosion and help build the soil profile back up.”

McLean says the native plants will also attract pollinating insects into the burned areas. More than 500 students have been involved in the project, making the seed bombs, and more recently going out into areas devastated by fires to distribute them. Field trips are planned for next spring for the students to see first-hand the results of their efforts.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a business meeting on Wednesday to consider President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as director of the Indian Health Service.

Roselyn Tso, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, was nominated in March. She’s currently the director of the Navajo area IHS and has nearly four decades of service at the health service.

During her confirmation hearing before the committee in May, she vowed to work to improve the physical, mental, social and spiritual health and wellbeing of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Tso told senators that working with tribes and other partners is key in providing care, which was seen during the height of the pandemic.

“Throughout my career at the Indian Health Service, I have worked to improve the agency to better meet the needs of the people we serve. This was most evident throughout the pandemic where I saw and was part of a true partnership with the Navajo Nation, the San Juan Paiute Tribes, the local, state, federal and private partners to combat COVID-19.”

The top leader of the Navajo Nation gave his approval during the hearing. President Jonathan Nez praised Tso’s decades-long work in public health and helping the Navajo Nation respond to the pandemic.

“It is because of her extensive experience working with federal and tribal governments that we are confident that she will continue to promote federal trust responsibilities and enhance our nation-to-nation relationship to improve the Indian Health Service delivery throughout Indian Country.”

If confirmed, Tso says she’ll strengthen and streamline IHS business operations; develop systems to improve accountability, transparency and patient safety; and address workforce needs and challenges.

IHS delivers health care to more than two million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The agency has been without a director since January 2021 when Rear Adm. Michael Weahkee was asked to resign as the incoming presidential administration took office.

Osage News reports one of the last Osage Nation full bloods has died.

Elda June “Kimmie” Morrell McNiel passed away on Monday at 88 years old.

She was an accomplished piano player and lived all over the U.S. with her military spouse until settling in Oklahoma.

She’ll be buried next to her husband in Fort Gibson, OK.

There are reportedly now six remaining Osage full bloods.

One of the last remaining Osage full bloods, Elda June “Kimmie” Morrell McNiel, has died. Her family confirmed she passed away on July 11, 2022. She was 88 years old.

The Osage News had the honor to interview her for our Elders Series in 2018. Story link: https://t.co/sdc03NXtnw pic.twitter.com/5fXYNXq299

— Osage News (@OsageNews) July 12, 2022

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A First Nation is grieving the loss of a young community member after police confirmed the body of a five-year-old boy who went missing in April was found over the weekend.

The CBC reports Frank Young was playing outside when he was last seen on the Red Earth Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

Police say he was found Saturday in a river not far from where he went missing and do not suspect foul play.

Police and volunteers had conducted searches on land, air, and boat around the community and the surrounding area. 

Tributes and condolences are pouring in on social media for the family and community.

Red Earth Cree Nation Chief Fabian Head thanked people for their support during the community’s time of grief.

The First Nation and police are expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday as the investigation continues.

The Shinnecock Nation in New York and the TILT Holdings company broke ground Monday on construction of a cannabis dispensary located on Shinnecock territory in Southampton.

A ceremony was held at the future site of the Little Beach Harvest, which will be a 5,000 square-foot dispensary.

The tribal cannabis operation is a result of a partnership between the tribe and the company after six years of lobbying, development, and planning.

Construction is expected to be completed by early 2023 and there are plans for a future wellness and consumption lounge.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe located on its ancestral territory on Long Island.

TILT is a global provider of cannabis business solutions including cultivation, manufacturing, processing, and brand development.

A fourth California condor will be attempted to be released on Tuesday into Yurok ancestral territory and Redwood National Park.

The Yurok Tribe, in collaboration with national and state parks, released three condors in May in Northern California’s redwoods. The restoration effort started in 2008.

The release of condors is in an area where the critically endangered birds have been absent for more than a century.

For the Yurok Tribe, the recovery of the species is part of restoration of the ecosystem and the people responsible for taking care of it.

The condor plays a principal role in the Yurok creation story and is prominently featured in the traditional dances.

In a video message in May, tribal council member Sherri Provolt shared the significance of the reintroduction and what it means for future generations.

“We know why they left, logging and environmental destruction and we lost them in my lifetime. My children now, they’re adults and my grandchildren, it will always be in their life, they’ll always see this bird. It is our responsibility to make sure it has a home that it’s safe, that it can thrive. It’s amazing to think about what we’re doing as a community, as a people to bring back our traditions, our cultural knowledge. Yet, there’s so much to do.”

The condor has to voluntarily enter a designated staging area with access to the outside world. Plans for reintroduction are for one cohort of condors every year for at least the next two decades.

Listen to this Native America Calling episode about the Yurok Tribe’s condor program

 

The Native American Heritage Fund recently announced awards for six projects in Michigan communities to help replace Indian mascots in public schools.

Nearly $480,000 will support community projects, academic program updates, mascot changes, and other projects that honor Native Americans.

Board chair Jamie Stuck says funding the decommission of racist mascot imagery now will leave more money in the future for proactive programs and curriculum.

The awards will be distributed in August.

 

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Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland traveled to Oklahoma over the weekend for the first stop on her road to healing tour to hear from former Indian boarding school students and descendants.

The tour is part of Sec. Haaland’s federal investigation into U.S. Indian boarding schools and their impacts on tribal communities.

The investigation was launched last year and includes gathering testimony and finding trauma-informed support for healing.

Sec. Haaland was joined by Interior Department staff and tribal officials at a gym packed with people at the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko.

The first hour of Saturday’s event was open to the press to hear remarks from officials. The rest of the day was closed to provide space for participants to share their stories.

Native News Online reports some boarding school survivors did speak publicly during the first hour recounting painful memories of the trauma they endured at boarding school including physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

Sec. Haaland has expressed the need to gather testimony, acknowledging it won’t be easy, but saying it is a necessary part of the investigation.

The year-long tour will include stops in Hawaii, Michigan, Arizona, and South Dakota.

More than 400 federal Indian boarding schools were operated across the country from the 1800s to 1969.

A federal judge last week denied a motion by the state of North Dakota to dismiss a voting rights lawsuit by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Nation, KFYR-TV reports.

The lawsuit is challenging North Dakota’s legislative redistricting, claiming it violates the Voting Rights Act.

It claims the state’s new redistricting law dilutes the voting strength of Native American voters from the reservations by packing Turtle Mountain reservation in one district and cracking out Spirit Lake, reducing from two to one the number of state house seats Native voters have an opportunity to elect their candidate of choice.

The tribes want a redistricting plan that combines both reservations in a single legislative district.

The case is now expected to proceed.

Chronic wasting disease is fatal for wildlife and it might be dangerous for hunters who depend on those animals for food and traditional practices.

That’s why researchers are training dogs to sniff out the disease on the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, as Aaron Bolton reports.

At the Working Dogs for Conservation training facility near Missoula, trainer Michelle Vasquez releases a rambunctious black lab named Charlie. He begins looking for black-footed ferret scent hidden in one of a handful containers on the floor.

“So yea, the other ones have bedding in them, maybe rocks, grass, prairie dog scent, whatever we think they might encounter in the wild just to give them a good picture.”

Charlie quickly finds the right scent and is rewarded with a stuffed pink dragon to play with.

Later this summer, Vasquez will train dogs like Charlie to sniff out chronic wasting disease in deer and elk scat on the Blackfeet Nation.

Blackfeet water researcher Souta Calling Last’s nonprofit Indigenous Vision is leading the project.

“Right now it feels a little scary because we don’t know where it’s at and we don’t know what it’s going to look like 20 years from now.”

CWD hasn’t been shown to infect humans, but federal health officials and researchers haven’t ruled it out completely.

Calling Last says CWD could threaten food security for Blackfeet tribal members and says it’s already pushed some people away from cultural practices like “brain tanning”, because it’s considered high-risk.

Currently, the only way to know where the disease is present is to test animals shot by hunters or killed on highways, which takes a lot of time and resource tribes don’t always have.

Calling Last hopes the dogs will be a new way for wildlife managers to detect the disease early and protect herds that serve as food and cultural resources for tribal members.

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The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Castro-Huerta case represents an immediate and lasting threat to tribal sovereignty.

That’s the main message from a virtual roundtable discussion organized by the National Congress of American Indians and Native American Rights Fund on Thursday.

During the discussion, NCAI President Fawn Sharp calls the decision nothing less than a direct attack on the sovereignty of all tribes.

“At a time we need it the most and at a time when we’ve worked so hard to secure it, the very foundation is shaken. And 200 years unraveled.”

Among other things, the ruling limits Native jurisdiction over non-Native people who commit crimes on Native land.

Native legal experts say it is a departure of more than a century of precedent and practice.

Several of the participants highlighted the need for educating elected leaders and the general public on a daily basis about tribes inherent rights.

Muscogee Creek Nation Principal Chief David Hill said it’s hard to see any justification for opposing more public safety resources on tribal land or anywhere else.

“We’re going to have to be strategic and smart and understand and understand that this fight may take a long time. But we at the Muscogee Creek Nation are up to the task.”

Some participants expressed optimism about some positive outcomes from the ruling.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Junior said he has mixed feelings about the Court’s ruling. He said it is a severe blow to tribal sovereignty, but at the same time, the ruling leaves in place the landmark McGirt ruling that says Congress never disestablished reservations in Oklahoma, home of the Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, and many other tribes.

Arizona’s newly approved record $18 billion state budget also includes a record appropriation for projects on tribal lands.

The Arizona Mirror reports the spending plan includes $55 million, mostly for infrastructure projects on the Navajo Nation.

The state’s three Navajo legislators call the appropriation “historic”.

Nevertheless, Navajo President Jonathan Nez criticized the structure of the funding giving the state substantial control over how and where the money’s spent. He questions whether that adequately recognizes Navajo’s sovereign relationship with the state.

A coalition of Pacific Northwest tribes is heading to Washington D.C. this month to call for the removal of dams on the lower Snake River to bring salmon back to the area.

KXLY reports dozens of tribal leaders will attend the event on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

It’s part of what’s known as the Orca Salmon Project, that includes advocacy from tribes in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

The dams are largely responsible for the disappearance of salmon in rivers where they traditionally spawn.

The station reports if the dams were breached, it would be the largest dam removal in the world.

At their annual meeting, the Nation’s three Cherokee tribes passed a resolution opposing state and federal recognition for the Lumbee tribe and a number of other groups.

The yearly Tri Council meeting includes the Cherokee Nation, The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

In addition to mentioning the state recognized Lumbee Tribe, the resolution includes the Chickamauga Tribe, the MOWA Band of Chocktaw, and the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe as those not worthy of state or federal recognition.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee tribal council will consider supporting a name change for the highest point in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

WLOS news reports the resolution favors changing the name of Clingman’s Dome. The recommended name is Kuwahi, a Cherokee word meaning “mulberry place”.

Resolution advocates say it is a sacred place where Cherokees prayed and sought spiritual guidance.

They say the current name pays tribute to Thomas Clingman, an avowed racist who was a general in the Confederate Army and has no connection to the tribe.

 

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In what’s described as a “historic partnership”, the Coquille Tribe and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have agreed to jointly manage a five-county area. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

The deal follows a push last year by local governments and groups near the Coquille River to help address drastically reduced numbers of salmon.

The campaign urged Governor Kate Brown to back the proposal.

John Ogan is a legal representative for the Coquille. He says that effort has paid off in this new partnership.

“The governor has sought to implement policies that correct historic injustices to the Oregon tribes as much as possible, or at least in part. There’s sad history with colonialization, settlement, and displacement, and disassociation from their culture values and resources like fish and wildlife, the environment, rivers, and such.”

The counties are Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Lane, with the possibility other tribes may seek similar agreements with the State of Oregon.

Native leaders spent much time this week at the annual gathering of the Assembly of First Nations in Vancouver debating the suspension of their national chief.

In June, the organization suspended Chief RoseAnne Archibald due to complaints against her from staff.

Chief Archibald made history last year becoming the first woman to lead the powerful Native organization in Canada. She calls the suspension illegal saying the executive committee does not have the capacity to suspend.

During a speech streamed live by APTN National News (at 2:26:25), Chief Archibald told leaders it’s not a human resources issue, but an attempt to silence her because she’s trying to clean up corruption within the organization.

“The reason we’re here, the reason I’m giving this speech is because I refused to give $1 million-plus to staff in a staff payout. I refused, I knew it was wrong. This funding I’m entrusted with is meant to help you, all of your communities, all of your citizens. I can’t hand $1 million to four people. I can’t do it. It’s meant for you.”

Members of the executive committee maintain the suspension is due to staff complaints and say there’s an active investigation.

They asked leaders to allow the suspension to continue until the investigation is over, but that motion failed. Instead, leaders are debating a resolution for full reinstatement.

During debate Wednesday afternoon, some leaders expressed disgust with the situation saying it’s taking away time, resources, and action from the many important issues facing their communities.

Clean drinking water, child welfare, and the pope’s upcoming visit to Canada are among priorities.

Leaders are expected to continue debate on the leadership issue on Thursday, the final day of the gathering.

The University of Arizona recently announced it will provide tuition-free education for Native American undergraduates.  As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, it’s part of the university’s plans to increase Native student access to higher education.

The program begins in the fall and will cover tuition and mandatory fees for enrolled members of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes at the university’s main Tucson campus. It applies to new and continuing full-time, degree-seeking undergrads in what university officials say is a first-of-its-kind program.

University President Robert Robins says serving Indigenous students is a crucial part of U of A’s mission and it’ll help hundreds of people access and complete college educations.

More than 400 students enrolled at the University of Arizona last year meet the criteria for the tuition waiver.

Officials say in the future the program may expand to graduate students along with those taking classes online and at other U of A campuses across the state.

Tucson is home to the Tohono O’Odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

According to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, in 2019 a quarter of Native Americans over the age of 25 had completed an associate degree or higher compared to 42% of the overall U.S. population.

 

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The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued an opinion giving states concurrent jurisdiction with the federal government over major crimes in Indian Country.

The 5 to 4 ruling overturns precedent, laws, and traditions going as far back as 200 years.

Tribal leaders will hold a virtual roundtable Thursday to determine how to move forward.

An attorney with the Native American Rights Fund says the opinion impacts tribes throughout the country, as Victoria Wicks reports.

Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its McGirt ruling that restored historical reservation boundaries in Oklahoma.

As a result, almost half of that state, including Tulsa, is now Indian Country.

Before that decision came out, the state of Oklahoma tried and convicted Victor Castro-Huerta for child neglect.

After the McGirt ruling, Castro-Huerta appealed his conviction, saying the state did not have jurisdiction because the crime occurred in Tulsa, on tribal land, and the young victim is Cherokee.

The Supreme Court disagreed and found that the state has concurrent jurisdiction with the feds over a non-Indian even under these circumstances.

The situation in Oklahoma is extremely unusual, with a large and sudden increase in tribal land mass and on-reservation population.

Oklahoma argued that federal prosecutors have been overwhelmed with felony cases, and so the state needs to step in, but NARF attorney Melody McCoy says the recent opinion affects more states than Oklahoma, which was joined by Texas as an amicus.

“There’s 35 states around the US that have federally recognized tribes within their borders. I’m not convinced that every single state has the same level of and type of interest that Oklahoma and Texas have.”

McCoy says there are 574 federally recognized tribes of varying sizes and relationships with states, and it will fall to their leaders to find ways to protect tribal sovereignty and keep their citizens safe.

Register for the roundtable

Cherokee Nation citizen Dwight Birdwell received the Medal of Honor Tuesday for his service during the Vietnam War.

President Joe Biden awarded the 74-year-old with the military’s highest honor during a ceremony at the White House.

“Member of the Cherokee Nation, Birdwell credits the Cherokee veterans who came before him and encouraged him to serve. And, I might note Native American communities a larger percentage serve in the United States Armed Forces at a higher percentage rate than any other cohort in America. In any other cohort in America. After leaving the Army, Birdwell continued to build a legacy of service in his community in Oklahoma.”

Specialist 5 Birdwell’s Army troop was involved in an attack in Saigon in 1968.  His tank commander became incapacitated and many of the unit’s vehicles were disabled or destroyed.

Birdwell moved the tank commander to safety. He was wounded when he took command and continued fighting, remained on the battlefield after running out of ammunition, and aided in evacuating the wounded. Birdwell says receiving the recognition is a great honor.

“It brings respect, honor to the Cherokee Nation and its people. Brings honor, respect to the 25th Infantry Division U.S. Army, and the unit I served with in Vietnam. I know it makes my family proud and it lets the world know that I served with dignity, pride and brought no shame to the Cherokee people.”

Birdwell served on the Cherokee Nation’s highest court for more than a decade and continues to practice law today. He was one of four soldiers honored on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s Google Doodle celebrates Native comedian Charlie Hill who was born 71 years ago today.

The Oneida comedic great appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “The Richard Pryor Show”, taking Hollywood by storm early in his career.

He’s credited for leading the way for Native Americans in comedy.

Hill passed away in 2013 after battling cancer.

Listen to his family, friends in Indian Country and in Hollywood, reflect on his life and career shortly after his passing on Native America Calling.

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A bill to ensure Native Americans are included in the renaming of the University of California Hastings College of Law is advancing in the California Legislature.

It passed the Senate Education Committee last week.

The college is named for a land speculator who built his fortune committing atrocities against Northern California tribes.

The bill (AB 1936) introduced by State Rep. James Ramos (D-CA) strikes the name “Hastings” from the school and creates a process for renaming.

Rep. Ramos says having Native people rename the college is restorative justice for Yuki people and the Round Valley Indian Tribes whose ancestors were killed by Serranus Hastings.

The California Legislature named the school in state statute in 1878 and because of the legislative action a state statute is now required to rename the campus.

In 2021, the college board approved changing the school’s name and has since been in discussion with tribes.

The bill passed the education committee with a 6-0 bipartisan vote.

It now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Members of the Native community in Lawrence, KS gathered last week to amplify their voices on the topic of abortion.

The panel titled “Indigenous Voices and Abortion Justice” explored the historical context of abortion bans and the possible impacts to the Native community with the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

State Rep. Christina Haswood (D-KS) was among panelists expressing frustration. She says Native women already lack access to abortion health care pointing to a provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortion.

“With the Hyde Amendment, we’ve always never had abortion care as accessible as maybe some other folks. It’s really concerning for the Native population because we depend on Indian Health Services, especially when we’re getting out of Kansas into rural areas as well, one to two hours for health care services, and we have the highest rates of mortality, morbidity for maternal and pregnancy related complications.”

Rep. Haswood says adding to the recent high court ruling is an upcoming vote on abortion policy in Kansas.

During the August primary, voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to remove the right to abortion.

Rep. Haswood says she’s frustrated as a politician and a Native woman seeing Indigenous voices not really being heard at the state and national level.

“Thinking of my own health and if it were to come to that, would I die giving birth? It’s kind of a scary thought. Just how valuable the choice was and how the choice for me growing up has been so empowering.”

Rep. Haswood says she’s working with her team to organize this summer ahead of the August 2nd primary election.

Meanwhile, last week’s panel discussion included members of the Indigenous Community Center, which plans to host a second event to further the discussion on abortion from Indigenous perspectives.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened the application period for federally recognized tribes to take part in the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information.

It allows tribes to access and exchange data with national crime information databases.

Justice Department officials say it’s a tool for tribal police, governments and courts to investigate crimes, keep communities safe, and hold offenders accountable.

The program provides training, software, workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to the FBI.

There are currently more than 100 tribes participating in the program.

This round of applications opened July 1st and closes at the end of August. 

 

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Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will visit Oklahoma Saturday for the first stop on the “The Road to Healing” tour to hear from former Indian boarding school students and descendants.

The year-long tour is part of Haaland’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, which was launched last year.

In May, the Interior Department released an investigative report, which includes collecting testimony and finding trauma-informed support for tribal communities.

Sec. Haaland discussed the tour during a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing in June.

“A necessary part of this journey will be to connect survivors and their families with mental health support, create a permanent collection of oral histories. We know this won’t be easy, but this is a history we must learn from if we are to heal from this tragic era in our country.”

Sec. Haaland will also travel to Hawaii, Michigan, Arizona and South Dakota this year.

Additional states are expected to be announced for 2023.

The Cherokee Nation and the U.S. Mint recently celebrated the release of the Chief Wilma Mankiller quarter.

The quarter is one of five designs in the American Women Quarters Program, which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of trailblazing American women.

Chief Mankiller was the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.

Current principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin Jr. expressed his appreciation of Mankiller during the celebration in June, saying she helped lead the way to improve health care and was an advocate for women’s rights.

“If Chief Mankiller’s legacy was summed up simply by what she did, my friends it would be enormous, but her legacy grows because her work continues to make an impact and I see it every single day.”   

The coin’s design depicts Mankiller looking to the future, wrapped in a shawl and the seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation.

The Coquille Tribe recently released a thousand juvenile Chinook salmon in a creek, as part of the tribe’s efforts to restore salmon number. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

A tribal member sang a song to bless the salmon, which Coquille officials say are among the first of thousands more expected to be released this year. The 2021 spawning project was done with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and other partners, after surveys showed Chinook salmon numbers had fallen to near extinction in the area. In a video released by the tribe, Coquille tribal Chair Brenda Meade said she’s proud. 

“Proud of the fact that we are all coming together as a community to make this happen because there’s no way the tribe could have done it by themselves. We gotta keep going though, this is just step one, it feels like baby-steps.  But it’s the first thousand that are going out, and it’s something to celebrate.”

Invasive bass, climate change, and pollution are seen as factors in the decline of Chinook salmon.

Montana tribes later this year will receive the first round of federal funding for water and sewer projects on tribal land.  As Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports, the money comes from a bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year.

Montana tribes will receive just shy of $2 million this year for construction of new wells and lift stations as well as other improvements for tribal water and sewer systems.

Projects on the Crow Agency, Blackfeet, Flathead, Fort Belknap and Northern Cheyenne reservations will be funded this year.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, tribes across the nation will receive a total of $3.5 billion dollars for water and sewer projects by 2025.

Outdated water and sewer infrastructure has hampered the Blackfeet Nation in particular.

The tribe has been unable to build a new drug treatment center and other sorely needed services because Browning’s water and sewer system is maxed out.

The tribe isn’t receiving federal dollars to update that system during this first wave of funding.

 

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Native environmental advocates are blasting the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the power of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set climate change policy.

The high court ruled 6-3 Thursday in West Virginia v. EPA that the federal agency does not have broad power under the Clean Air Act to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases, which drive climate change.

Native advocates fighting climate change say the decision threatens public health, especially for people of color and low-income communities.

In statements released by NDN Collective, advancement director Michael Johnson said Indigenous, Black, and immigrant communities suffer higher levels of pollution exposure. Adding, the ruling signals to their communities that their health, livelihoods, and future generations are less valuable than the profits of the extractive industry.

Jade Begay, Climate Justice Director at NDN Collective, said it halts the Biden administration’s climate goals for reducing carbon emissions by 2030, and puts lives at risk, as the decision will further destabilize the climate.

Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth, issued a statement following the ruling, calling for an end of the fossil fuel industry and culture of violence against women, water and life.

U.S. health officials say COVID-19 vaccines for children under five are safe and effective.

In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children six months to five years old.

This week, leaders from the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hosted a press conference to discuss the latest information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for children under five.

Listen to the full press conference:

Infectious disease expert and Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says COVID-19 is not over, but progress is being made, including with the use of vaccines.

He says vaccines for the youngest children work and are safe pointing to data from clinical studies.

“The bottom line is the known and potential benefits of these vaccines outweigh the known and potential risks in children. Patients and caregivers can be reassured that all children over six months of age including children who have already had COVID can now be protected through vaccination.”

This week, distribution of pediatric vaccines for the youngest children started across the country, including at Indian Health Service federal, tribal and urban sites. The vaccines are two doses of Moderna for six months to five years, and three doses of Pfizer for six months to four years. Health officials are encouraging parents and caregivers to speak to their child’s doctor about the vaccine.

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s core exhibit is reopening in Santa Fe, New Mexico this weekend. “Here, Now and Always” highlights Indigenous people of the Southwest.

It showcases never before seen items and state of the art technology, but it also sets the standard for collaborations with the Native community, says Santa Clara Pueblo curator Tony Chavarria.

“They know the ins and outs, they know what’s appropriate and not appropriate to discuss. In the past that’s always been an issue with museums. Things were present inaccurately or in a pan-Indian voice. So, it’s important to get that community voice so they can present things they want people to know, what they want the world to know about them.”

Among items in the exhibit are the traditional dress Interior Sec. Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna) wore when sworn-in to Congress in 2019 and a Zuni Olla Maiden dress, which was put together by women from Zuni Pueblo.

The grand opening celebration for the public takes place July 2nd and 3rd.

 

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