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Anchor: Antonia Gonzales
Tribal colleges across North Dakota are now making plans to boost apprentice opportunities with the help from a $14 million donation.
Mike Moen reports.
The money was donated by a trio of private energy companies, with most coming from the Hess Corporation.
The funds will be distributed to the state’s five tribal colleges to implement an approach that fits the needs of each school and the Native populations in their areas.
Cynthia Lindquist, president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, says it might open the door to traditional apprenticeships, such as in construction trades, but they hope to provide pathways to other professions with specific skillsets.
“What do rural communities really need to stay viable? Who are staying in our rural communities – not just Indian country, but rural in general – and what are the employment opportunities? So, things like cybersecurity which affects us all in many, many different ways.”
She says creating more career paths in tribal areas might also help reduce the need for government assistance for people who haven’t seen enough job opportunities.
Leaders involved in the initiative say implementation is expected in January of next year.
Cankdeska’s apprenticeships will focus on Early Childhood Education and Social Work.
Combined, North Dakota’s tribal colleges serve roughly 3,500 students, and Lindquist says nearly 10% are non-Native Americans.
She feels this can really give rural students from all backgrounds more choices about shaping their future.
“What are they really interested in doing and/or becoming? Is it a part of a normal or a typical pathway, both for college, for a degree and/or for jobs? And can a niche be built around that if they want to stay local, they want to stay home?”
Students who participate can develop on-the-job skills as they complete a two-year degree or technical certification, with the possibility of earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree, depending on the apprenticeship position and location.
In Native vote news, the All Pueblo Council of Governors in New Mexico is hosting a non-partisan candidate forum for congressional and state seats.
Pueblo leaders have invited Democratic and Republican candidates for congressional districts to take part in Friday’s forum in Albuquerque.
The key state seat is for governor of New Mexico.
Leaders have invited current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti.
Tribal leaders have also invited candidates seeking to become Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Public Lands Commissioner.
Top tribal issues are water, sacred site protection, education, health care, and economic development.
The All Pueblo Council of Governors represents the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico and one in Texas.
Early and absentee voting started Tuesday in New Mexico.
The four-hour Pueblo governor’s forum will be held late afternoon at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and will be streamed on YouTube.
The Ute Indian Tribe in Utah is critical of President Joe Biden’s designation of the Camp Hale Continental Divide National Monument.
President Biden established the monument during a ceremony this week in north-central Colorado.
In a press statement, the Ute Tribe called the designation an unlawful act of genocide.
The tribe says it was not properly consulted and claims the Ute Tribe was excluded from the event.
The area in Colorado is traditional Ute Tribe homeland.
The Band was forced off the land in the 1800s by the U.S. government.
Tribal officials say the designation further dispossess the Band from its land without fully including the tribe.
The Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee is condemning the White House action saying the administration talks about tribal consultation, but the actions do not match.
Other tribal leaders were reportedly at President Biden’s event including the other two Ute tribes, which have reservations in Colorado.
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