News For All Americans
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Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation was among those to testify in support of a bill in the Maine Legislature to change a tribal settlement. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr)
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South Dakota state lawmaker Peri Pourier speaks during a press conference about Native Hope funding a state position for a missing persons specialist. (Photo-Lee Strubinger)
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Keeseekoose First Nation discusses findings of graves at former residential schools. (Screenshot)
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For the first time, Native youth take part in the National Congress of American Indians State of Indian Nations address with tribal leaders and members of Congress. (Screenshot)
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(Photo: Tanana Chiefs Conference)
Members of the Native community in Fairbanks, Alaska held a vigil Friday in memory of Sophie Sergie outside the courtroom where a jury handed down guilty verdicts to the person who murdered the Alaska Native woman in 1993 on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. People gathered in front of a court house holding candles and signs with Sophie’s name. Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Fairbanks Native Association organized the vigil and livestreamed it. According to the Fairbanks Native Association, there are between 35 to 40 unsolved homicide cases in the Fairbanks area with some dating back to the 1970s. The organizations recently started a justice initiative to draw awareness to cases, support families, and work with law enforcement. The vigil ended with songs to honor Sergie.
National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp will deliver the 2022 State of Indian Nations address Monday to tribal leaders, members of Congress, and government officials. The address promises to outline priorities for the year and future visions for tribal nations across the country. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) will deliver the congressional response and, for the first time, the Native youth commission will give remarks as part of N.C.A.I.’s Executive Council Winter Session. Tribal leaders from across the country are taking part in the meeting to hear from members of Congress and the Biden administration. Two interactive fireside chats are included this year to provide a time for questions and comments from tribal leaders.
Tribes manage millions of acres of wildlife habitat, but are faced with funding challenges. A bill in Congress would provide a boost in carrying out projects, as Mike Moen reports.
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Photo Courtesy: Alaska State Troopers
A Fairbanks, Alaska jury returned guilty verdicts Thursday against Steven Downs for the sexual assault and murder of Alaska Native Sophie Sergie in 1993 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a case in which DNA collected for an ancestry website prompted the discovery of Downs’ connection, as KUAC’s Robyne reports.
Sports wagering for the Super Bowl will be in full swing this year. Research from the American Gambling Association found more than 18 million people plan to bet online, in person at sportsbooks, or with a bookie on the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Navajo Nation will soon get into the digital sports betting action as it teams up with the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock brand. They’ve joined forces to launch the Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app in Arizona, where sports betting became legal in 2021. The digital Hard Rock Sportsbook is expected to be launched in the state this month.
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South Dakota state lawmaker Troy Heinert talks about creating Native community-based schools.
South Dakota Senate lawmakers are passing a bill that creates and funds community-based schools centered on Native American cultural curriculum. A similar proposal passed the chamber two years ago but failed in the House. Supporters hope this year is different. South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger reports.
A bill in the Alaska State Legislature to provide for state recognition of federally recognized tribes was heard in the Senate State Affairs committee Thursday. House Bill 123 was read for the first time in January and referred to committees. It would not give tribes new power, since they’re sovereign. It aims to have the state acknowledge that sovereignty. The state of Alaska and tribes already work together in a government-to-government capacity through tribal compacts. The state has a compact in child welfare. The state recognition initiative gained more than the needed 36 thousand signatures to be put on this year’s ballot. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are 229 federally recognized tribes in Alaska. Listen To The Hearing | Follow The Bill
A tribal regalia bill in the Utah Legislature recently passed in the Senate. It had already passed the House. The bill ensures Native students can wear traditional dress, a feather, beaded attired, or moccasins during high school graduation ceremonies across the state. The bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Spencer Cox.
The state of New York is dropping requirements for face coverings indoors, but not the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, which announced Wednesday it will continue its mask requirements in all public places on the reservation.
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Indigenous groups have condemned Canada’s trucker protests and symbols with one Native leader declaring that the so-called Freedom Convoy is the result of unabashed entitlement among privileged Canadians, as Dan Karpenchuk reports.
Jared Nally, a former tribal student journalist, has claimed a victory in his first amendment lawsuit against the leadership of Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas. Nally, former editor of the student newspaper the Indian Leader, fought back, after the former president of Haskell officially instructed him to stop engaging in news and information gathering in October 2020. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, backed Nally and helped him with a lawsuit against the school. On Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, ordered Haskell to adopt policy reforms to protect the First Amendment rights of students and safeguard the editorial independence of the student newspaper. Nally says the immediate impact will help protect free speech on campus, but hopes there will be similar impacts for students at other tribal colleges and universities across the country. Nally graduated from Haskell last fall. He’s considering graduate school and is currently a guest editor at a magazine. Under the settlement, the university must pay $40,000 in attorneys’ fees. One claim still stands, which is expected to continue in a federal appeals court to hold federal officials accountable for their actions. Haskell is a federally operated university. *Correction-the outstanding claim will continue in a lower court and not the Supreme Court.
Tribal leaders from across the country are gearing up for the National Congress of American Indians winter session, which kicks off Sunday. N.C.A.I. President Fawn Sharp will deliver the State of Indian Nations address Monday. Native American Congresswoman Sharice Davids will give the congressional response and U.S. Interior Sec. Deb Haaland will update tribal leaders on federal initiatives.
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Leonard Peltier supporters rallied for his release in six cities across the country on Monday, warning he is at risk after getting COVID-19 in prison, as Arielle Zionts of South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports from Rapid City.
Photo: City of Roseville
A city in Minnesota is planning to rename a park and may pay select Native people for their input. The Pioneer Press reports the city of Roseville wants to rename Pocahontas Park. The parks and recreation commission has been considering the change since a youth commissioner suggested it in 2020. Commissioners told the city council Monday a majority of comments from the public is in favor of the change pointing to inaccurate and stereotypical imagery often associated with Pocahontas. The commission is considering a stipend for Native Americans to take part in the renaming process. Some commissioners say the payment is no different than paying consultants for guidance. No dollar amount or timeframe has been set for the renaming process.
The Spirit Lake Tribe, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and individual voters filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court Monday. They’re challenging North Dakota’s new legislative map, claiming it dilutes the voting rights of Native Americans. They say redistricting has split up Turtle Mountain citizens into two subdistricts and Spirit Lake into one district. Tribal leaders had asked for the two tribes to be drawn into the same district. Plaintiff say they’re limited in electing state legislative seats. The lawsuit alleges violation of the voting rights act. The Native American Rights Fund is among law groups representing the plaintiffs.
Fort Lewis College and the University of Colorado College of Nursing announced a new partnership Monday. They’re teaming up on a four-year undergraduate degree in nursing bringing the medical institute to Fort Lewis, which serves rural and Indigenous students in Southwest Colorado. The first cohort is expected to begin in the fall of 2023.
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Disposable masks. The Bureau of Indian Education is distributing masks to all its BIE funded schools.
