Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
After the Trump administration filed a brief requested by Justice Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court is poised to either rule on the administration’s request to end the Census count soon, or request additional briefs from the parties involved. In their brief, the administration argues “it may still be possible to meet” the December 31 reporting deadline “if the agencies immediately shift to post processing” and “consider moving some aspects of their analysis” beyond that date.
On Saturday, President Trump signed Savanna’s Act into law. The law is named for Savanna Greywind and is meant to help police track, solve and prevent crimes against Native Americans, especially crimes linked to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It directs the Departments of Justice and Interior to consult with American Indian tribes while developing national law enforcement guidelines.
Protestors marched through Boston on Saturday to call on the City Council and Mayor Martin Walsh to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day, a first step, they said, toward recognizing the genocide of Indigenous people and the theft of their lands.
The President issued a proclamation commemorating Columbus Day on Friday, and issued stark warnings of “radical activists” seeking to tarnish the explorer’s legacy. “Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’s legacy,” Trump said. “These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions.”
The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and the Institute of American Indian Art Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico have been named American Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation. The designation comes with multi-year grants from $1 to 6 million and technical assistance services valued at $100,000.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Indigenous People’s Day:
Demonstrators Call For Boston To Rename Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples Day
Boston Herald, Marie Szaniszlo, October 10
Native Americans and supporters marched through Boston on Saturday, calling on the City Council and Mayor Martin Walsh to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day, a first step, they said, toward recognizing the genocide of indigenous people and the theft of their lands that began with Columbus’ arrival.
New Mexico Natives Mark Indigenous People’s Day By Protesting A Monument To Colonialism
Business Insider, Charles Davis, October 11
Native activists marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day by asking Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber to live up to his promise of removing a statue that celebrates settler victory over “savage” indigenous peoples. Two people did so by chaining themselves to the monument; as of Sunday evening, they had been chained to it for over 24 hours.
City Honors Native American History As Montgomery Observes 1st Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Montgomery Advertiser, Safiya Charles, October 9
Montgomery marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day for the first time Monday, honoring the lives and legacy of Native Americans in Alabama and throughout the country. Mayor Steven Reed described it as a “recognition of the city’s true history.”
Trump’s Columbus Day Proclamation Includes Stark Warnings
AP News, October 9
President Donald Trump’s proclamation commemorating Columbus Day veered from a typical White House holiday announcement, with stark warnings of “radical activists” seeking to tarnish the explorer’s legacy. Native American advocates have pressed states for years to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Christopher Columbus helped launch centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas.
COVID-19:
Navajo Nation Reports 42 New Cases; Under A 57-hour Lockdown
Native News Online, October 9
On Friday, the Navajo Department of Health, in coordination with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the Navajo Area Indian Health Service, reported 42 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and one more death. A Stay-At-Home Order remains in effect for the entire Navajo Nation.
Eastern Cherokee Virus Cases Spike
Indian Country Today, Joseph Martin, October 10
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, based in Cherokee, North Carolina reported COVID-19 cases spiking from 185 to 279 for the tribe’s lands over a two-week period. 25 of the cases were confirmed on Friday alone.
CARES Act:
Navajo Nation Allocates Remaining Relief Money
Indian Country Today, October 9
The Navajo Nation announced it has allocated the remaining $714 million in CARES Act funds. The announcement includes nearly $50 million in funding as part of a hardship relief plan that provides $1,500 each to qualifying tribal citizens 18 and older, as well as $90 million to Navajo chapter houses.
Law:
Statement From The Press Secretary Regarding The Signing Of Savanna’s Act And The Not Invisible Act
The White House, October 10
Today, President Donald J. Trump proudly signed into law S. 227, Savanna’s Act, which directs the Department of Justice to develop law enforcement protocols to address the issue, and S. 982, the Not Invisible Act of 2019, which directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice to establish a joint commission on violent crime within and against the Native American community.
Trump Inks Law Addressing Missing, Murdered Native Americans
AP News, October 10
President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a bill named for a Fargo murder victim to address cases of missing and murdered Native Americans. Savanna’s Act passed the House last month after passing the Senate earlier this year.
Tribes Say They Face ‘Devil’s Bargain’ In Border Wall Fight
Law360, Nadia Dreid, October 9
Tribal groups of the Kumeyaay Nation argued Friday that a D.C. federal court should block the Trump administration from constructing a border wall along federal land where they say their ancestors are buried, but the judge appeared to have doubts that religious freedom stretched that far.
Athabascan, Iñupiat Tribes Sue To Halt Arctic Road Project
Indian Country Today, Joaqlin Estus, October 9
Several tribes have filed suit in federal district court in Alaska over a proposed road they say would adversely impact their way of life, spirituality, and the wildlife they depend upon for food. A state-owned corporation, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, plans to build a gravel road to connect the Dalton highway to an area 211 miles to the west where precious minerals were discovered in the 1950s.
Other:
Trump Calls Those Who Seek To Replace Columbus Day ‘Extremists’ In Columbus Day Proclamation
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, October 10
In a proclamation to commemorate Christopher Columbus, President Donald Trump on Friday denounced “extremists” who seek to replace the discussion of Columbus’ vast contributions. In the meantime, American Indians will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday concentrating on the vast contributions of tribal peoples across the United States.
Native Groups Honored As ‘American Cultural Treasures’
Indian Country Today, Joaqlin Estus, October 10
The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and the Institute of American Indian Art Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico have been named American Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation. The designation comes with multi-year grants from $1 to 6 million and technical assistance services valued at $100,000.
Navajo Technical University Research On Energy Storage Gets Published In Prestigious Journal
Native News Online, October 9
The Journal of Power Source, a well-respected journal for researchers and technologists interested in all aspects of science, technology and applications of sources of electrochemical power, has published research by a Navajo Technical University (NTU) associate professor and recent biology graduate.
Training Center For Native American Officers Ready To Open
AP News, October 9
A new federal law enforcement training center for Native American officers in northeastern North Dakota should be starting classes in the next month, U.S. Sen John Hoeven said Friday. The U.S. Indian Police Academy Advanced Training Center will receive recruits from tribes throughout the Great Plains.
College District Weighs Future Of Indigenous Network
Indian Country Today, Natasha Brennan, October 9
The San Bernardino Community College District’s board of trustees is weighing changes that could have major implications for the only national network that televises exclusively Native American and Indigenous content, FNX/First Nations Experience.