Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in Colorado Thursday in a lawsuit over two of the largest national monuments in the Mountain West region.
Rachel Cohen reports.
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in southern Utah include vast red rock canyons and cliffs, as well as Native American cultural sites.
“The kivas, the pictographs, the actual migration routes and trails themselves … I can’t imagine a place that’s more worthy of protection.”
Matthew Campbell is an attorney representing the Hopi, Ute Mountain Ute, and Pueblo of Zuni, which are intervening in the litigation on the side of the federal government.
The case started when former President Trump shrunk both monuments in 2017. Then, a few years later, the Biden Administration restored them.
The state of Utah sued, saying Biden overstepped his authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act, in part because the monuments are too big.
Yet, the court hearings in Colorado probably won’t get into this dispute and will instead focus on questions like whether the court is able to overrule the president’s judgment on monuments.
Assistant Interior Secretary Bryan Newland, left, Crow Tribal Chairman Frank White Clay, Navajo President Buu Nygren, Zuni Tribal Governor Arden Kucate, and Yavapai-Apache Nation Chairwoman Tanya Lewis testify at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on critical water rights legislation, September 25, 2024. (Courtesy President Buu Nygren / Facebook)
Tribal members and advocates traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to ask lawmakers to revive the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
The bill passed the Senate, but has been stalled in the House after expiring months ago.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Yvette Fernandez has this report.
Wednesday morning, tribal members and allies delivered symbolic health care invoices to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office to point out the multi-generational costs for their families dealing with cancer due to radiation exposure.
Once inside, advocates pressed for Speaker Johnson to bring the bill up for a vote.
Outside, advocates like Kathleen Tsosi prayed for a new path forward.
“I prayed for Speaker Mike Johnson to change his mind and to have the heart and the compassion as well as the House of Representatives to change their mind and approve the RECA bill.”
It was a stark contrast to Tuesday’s meeting with Senators who have passed expanded versions of the RECA bill and Representatives who say they have the votes to pass it, if Speaker Johnson would bring it to the floor for a vote.
Dr. Donald Warne cuts the ribbon on the newly-opened facility. (Photo: C.J. Keene / SDPB)
Trust and visibility are keys to effective health care, but not everyone feels the same way walking into the doctor’s office.
That’s why some look to increase representation among health care professionals.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene has more.
The new Great Plains Native Health Hub in Rapid City aims to create a safe space for indigenous patients, but it also wants to be a resource to aspiring health care professionals.
Dr. Donald Warne is the co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, a key piece of the new Native Health Hub.
“What we’re excited about is bringing together many of our people who have studied in different parts of the country or have worked in different parts of the country, but have roots here in South Dakota, and bringing our team back here is very exciting. So, what we’re hoping is we’ll link research opportunities to educational opportunities, and by doing that we’ll create programs that are much more holistic and comprehensive.”
Warne says indigenous-first health care makes a tangible difference for Native patients.
“I know that we are from communities that have less resources but know that we can do this. I was very fortunate to grow up in a family that had a lot of medicine men and traditional healers. In truth, I was afraid some of my relatives would be disappointed in me for going to the “dark side” of modern medicine, but in truth I had a lot of support. I think what we’re recognizing when we blend together the best of our traditional cultural values with the best of modern science, we create all kinds of opportunities and synergies to improve outcomes.”
Warne’s colleague, Dr. Courtney Claussen, says while it’s a difficult path, Native students shouldn’t write off health care as an unachievable career field.
“Incredibly strong community ties and community connections are very, very strong pillars of success for those who are seeking higher education, and certainly helped myself.”
The leadership team at the Great Plains Native Health Hub is made up entirely of Indigenous peoples and is connected to the prestigious Johns Hopkins medical program.
Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.
