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The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues began Monday in New York and continues through next week.
Canadian delegates have not wasted any time drawing attention to their top concerns, as Dan Karpenchuk reports.
The theme of this 22nd session of the Indigenous issues forum is “Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change — a rights based approach.”
Dozens of Native, Inuit, and Métis delegates are in attendance including the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations RoseAnne Archibald.
Several Native leaders talked about land rights, insisting that Canada’s laws have criminalized Indigenous defenders of the land who have protested against resource projects on their lands.
Judy Wilson is a former British Columbia chief.
“When the title and rights of Indigenous people are perceived conflict with the national interest or agenda or priorities of the Crown government that often align with corporate interests, the title and rights of Indigenous peoples are repeatedly infringed and violated.”
And Aly Bear, a vice chief from Saskatchewan’s Federation of Indigenous Sovereign Nations, says it’s time that the 231 calls for justice from the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls inquiry be implemented.
Bear says Native leaders are calling on governments to take the issue seriously because there needs to be an end to it.
Others said women and girls are at the forefront of defending mother earth and their safety must be ensured.
The forum is an advisory body to the UN with a mandate to deal with Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health, and human rights.
North Dakota’s new poet laureate Dr. Denise Lajimodiere is the first Native American to hold the position.
Lajimodiere says she’s honored to represent her tribe, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
In an interview shortly after learning about her appointment this month, Lajimodiere told Prairie Public radio one of the things she’d like to do is work with Native students across the state.
“I didn’t have a mentor growing up in high school and this would be in the late-60s. I graduated in 69. So, I hope to be that mentor and that role model for Native students. I hope to reach out to community groups and just promote and increase the appreciation of poetry.”
Much of her work focuses on Native issues including poems that are narrative style about her life in North Dakota as a Native person.
Lajimodiere is a co-founder of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and has shared stories about Northern Plains boarding school survivors in a book.
She’s currently working on a novel based on her father’s boarding school experience and is working on her next book of poems.
Lajimodiere says writing is part of her own healing process including from racism she faced growing up.
“What I could no longer hold I could put in my poems and close that journal, close that book and it felt like it no longer had that power over me to harm. So, I say that poetry helped me find my voice and I’ve been writing ever since.”
The scholar and longtime educator is also a jingle dress dancer and birch bark biting artist.
She’ll serve as North Dakota’s Poet Laureate for a two-year term.
Listen to Lajimodiere’s interview with Prairie Public’s Bill Thomas here:
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is applauding the New York Board of Regents for banning schools from using Indian mascots.
The tribal council in a statement Thursday said it’s pleased with the action.
The council says it’s needed to move away from harmful stereotypes and cartoons of Native Americans, and to recognize Native Americas as people.
This week, the board decided public schools will no longer be allowed to use Indian mascots, names, or imagery.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is encouraging officials at all levels of government to support the effort.
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