Ahead of this week’s final Presidential Debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates said that it would turn off each candidate’s microphone during the other candidate’s initial two-minute response to a question. After the initial response, both candidates will be allowed to freely engage with each other for the remainder of each 15-minute segment, with both microphones fully functional.
Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, now features strong, unskippable warnings about racist stereotypes before the start of some older films, informing viewers that the program “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or culture.” On their website, Disney said that Peter Pan portrays Native people “in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions,” pointing to the film’s repeated use of the term “redskins.” The company said it hoped to “open dialogue on history that affects us all” and was committed to “represent communities authentically.”
Meanwhile, Indigenous actor Alyssa Wapanatâhk was cast to play Tiger Lily in the live action remake of Peter Pan. Wapanatâhk, 22, is a member of the Bigstone Cree First Nation in Alberta, Canada, according to her website.
The Tohono O’odham Nation announced Monday it will donate $2 million to advance COVID-19 research in Arizona. Leaders of the Tohono O’odham Nation of southern Arizona announced that they would be giving $1 million each to the University of Arizona and Arizona State University to advance ongoing COVID-19 research, including the development of rapid tests.
Native leaders in New Mexico are raising concerns about a proposal by non-tribal racetracks and casinos to overhaul the industry and open the state to Las Vegas-style gambling. They argue that allowing unlimited slot machines, table games, online gambling and sports wagering at the horse tracks and casinos would shift the market and violate exclusivity provisions outlined in existing revenue-sharing compacts that tribes have with the state.
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
Navajo Nation COVID-19 Cases Nears 11,000; Death Toll At 573
Native News Online, October 18
With Covid-19 still spreading across the United States, the total number of cases on the Navajo Nation is approaching 11,000. On Sunday the Navajo Nation reported an additional 42 new cases of Covid-19 cases.
Tohono O’odham Nation To Give $2 Million To ASU, UA For Covid-19 Research
AZ Central, Stephanie Innes, October 19
The Tohono O’odham Nation announced Monday it will donate $2 million to advance COVID-19 research in the state. Leaders of the Tohono O’odham Nation of southern Arizona were in Phoenix to make the announcement that they would be giving $1 million each to the University of Arizona and Arizona State University to advance ongoing COVID-19 research, including the development of rapid tests.
Casinos:
New Mexico Tribes Concerned About Pitch To Expand Gambling
AP News, Susan Montoya Bryan, October 19
Native American leaders in New Mexico are raising concerns about a proposal by non-tribal racetracks and casinos to overhaul the industry and open the state to Las Vegas-style gambling. Tribal leaders say the proposal violates exclusivity provisions outlined in revenue-sharing compacts that tribes have with the state.
Other:
Trump’s Base Boos Indigenous Peoples’ Day At Campaign Rally In Michigan
Native News Online, October 19
In the homelands of the People of the Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Ottawa and Potawatomi, President Donald Trump called those who want to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day “extremists.” Trump held a campaign rally in Muskegon, Mich. on Saturday afternoon. His base of mostly Caucasian supporters loved what the president said and booed the idea of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Alaska Natives Divided On Arctic Refuge Drilling
Indian Country Today, Joaqlin Estus, October 19
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act granted a decades-long wish of Alaska’s congressional delegation by giving the go-ahead to drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Alaska Natives are divided on the matter.
Disney Plus Now Warns Viewers Of Racist Stereotypes In Older Films, Including ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Dumbo,’ And ‘The Jungle Book’
Business Insider, Grace Dean, October 19
Disney’s “Peter Pan,” now features unskippable warnings about racist stereotypes on Disney’s streaming service. “Peter Pan” portrays Native people “in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions.” Peter and the Lost Boys also dance while wearing headdresses, which Disney calls “a form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples’ culture and imagery.”
Indigenous Actor Alyssa Wapanatâhk Cast As Tiger Lily In Live Action ‘Peter Pan’
NBC Today, Scott Stump, October 19
Indigenous actor Alyssa Wapanatâhk will be starring in her first feature film as the Native American character in the upcoming live action film “Peter Pan and Wendy.” Wapanatâhk, 22, is a member of the Bigstone Cree First Nation in Alberta, Canada.
Oklahoma To Honour Native American Art In New $175m Museum
The Art Newspaper, Gabriella Angeleti, October 19
Native American artists Jeri Redcorn and Joseph Erb have been commissioned to create works inaugurating Oklahoma’s First Americans Museum—more than 25 years since planning for it began. Opening in Oklahoma City in September 2021, the museum aims to depart from a traditional ethnographic approach, with a vision that “harkens back to the ancient but can be seen in the contemporary moment”, says its associate director, Shoshana Wasserman.
Wabanaki Ambassador Program At UMaine Machias Aims For Retention, Success Of Native American Students
Penobscot Bay Pilot, October 19
Chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, Darren Ranco, plans to bolster one of the Wabanaki Center’s signature programs to increase Native American student retention and success in college and bring it to the University of Maine at Machias. The U.S. The Department of Agriculture awarded Ranco and his colleagues $283,164 to expand a program that attracts Native students to STEM and Food, Agriculture, Natural Sciences and Human Sciences fields.
Disney Adds Warnings for Racist Stereotypes to Some Older Films
The New York Times, Bryan Pietsch, October 18
Before viewers watch some of Disney’s older films, they will be warned about scenes that include “negative depictions” and “mistreatment of people or cultures.” When watching “Peter Pan,” a message informs the viewers that the film portrays Indigenous people “in a stereotypical manner” and refers to them repeatedly with a slur.