Good afternoon, NUNAverse:
In a follow up to last week’s Special Update Clips and U.S. Capitol Attack Dashboard we are releasing our full report: How Long Does It Take a Narrative to Change? A White Paper on U.S. Capitol Attack Media & Narrative Analysis through Quantifiable Communications Strategy by NUNA Consulting Group, LLC. Download here.
A new poll from the Pew Research Center finds that 64% of voters express a positive opinion of President-elect Joe Biden following November’s election, while President Donald Trump currently has the lowest job approval rating of his entire presidency at just 29%. Additionally, 68% of those polled said that Trump should not continue to be a major national political figure for many years to come while just 29% say he should remain a major figure in U.S. politics.
Indian Country Today reports on the record number of Indigenous officials that won elections this year as they are sworn into office, noting that many chose to do so while wearing traditional clothing. In 2020, a total of 72 Indigenous candidates were elected to office. More than 100 ran for various positions, including U.S. Congress, state legislatures and city councils.
After filing a lawsuit earlier this week to prevent the Oak Flat land transfer, the Apache Stronghold also filed a lien and a restraining order Thursday, a day before the Tonto National Forest is expected to release a key environmental impact review that directly affects the future of the sacred land known by the Apache as Chi’chil Bildagoteel.
Bank of America announced that it directed more than $13 million in 2020 to Native communities across the U.S. disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. The funds included capital investments into Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and philanthropic grants to nonprofits and institutions focused on meeting health, hunger and jobs-related needs in Native communities.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Biden Begins Presidency With Positive Ratings; Trump Departs With Lowest-Ever Job Mark
Pew Research Center, January 15
As Joe Biden prepares to take office just days after a deadly riot inside the U.S. Capitol, 64% of voters express a positive opinion of his conduct since he won the November election. Majorities also approve of Biden’s Cabinet selections and how he has explained his plans and policies for the future.
Where Native Americans In Congress Stood On Trump’s Impeachment
Native News Online, January 14
In the aftermath of the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812, Congress voted to impeach President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday. Trump became the first president of the United States in history to be impeached twice. As they did last week to certify the electoral college tallies, the six Native Americans serving in the 117th Congress cast their votes down party lines on Wednesday on whether to impeach Trump.
Indigenous Candidates Taking Oath In Style
Indian Country Today, Aliyah Chavez, January 14
For many Indigenous lawmakers, January brought the opportunity to be sworn into office. Across various Capitol buildings (and of course in some living rooms through video conferencing), Indigenous officials took an oath of office, promising to do their job to the best of their ability – and many chose to do so while wearing traditional clothing. The history-making coalition of Indigenous lawmakers in Kansas did just that.
COVID-19:
Navajo Nation Reports 169 New COVID-19 Cases And Five More Covid-related Deaths
Native News Online, January 13
The Navajo Department of Health reported 169 new Covid-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and five more deaths. The total number of deaths is now 879 as of Wednesday. Reports indicate that 13,092 individuals have recovered from Covid-19, and 218,791 Covid-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive Covid-19 cases is now 25,746.
Other:
Apache Group Boosts Efforts To Block Mine
Indian Country Today, Dalton Walker, January 14
The Apache Stronghold is taking additional steps, after filing a lawsuit this week, to halt an Oak Flat land transfer that will open the door for a massive copper mine. The group filed a lien and a restraining order Thursday, a day before the Tonto National Forest is expected to release a key environmental impact review that directly affects the future of the sacred land known by the Apache as Chi’chil Bildagoteel.
Native Americans Say U.S. Does Not Own Land It Is About To Give To Rio Tinto
Reuters, Ernest Scheyder, January 14
Members of Arizona’s San Carlos Apache tribe filed a property lien on Thursday in an attempt to regain control over land that the U.S. government is poised to give to Rio Tinto Ltd for the Resolution Copper mine. The latest maneuver by tribal members opposed to the project asks a court to find that the U.S. government has illegally occupied the land for more than 160 years and has no right to give it to anyone.
Tribal Chairman Says Time To ‘Mend’ Relationship With State
AP News, Stephen Groves, January 14
Native Americans and the South Dakota government should seek out ways to cooperate following a year in which Gov. Kristi Noem and tribal leaders clashed over coronavirus measures, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux said Thursday in the annual State of the Tribes address. Chairman Mike Faith struck a positive tone in the speech to lawmakers, emphasizing areas where they can find common ground, including law enforcement, addiction treatment and the common experience of deaths amid the pandemic.
Bank Of America Directed More Than $13 Million To Native American Communities Hardest Hit By The Coronavirus In 2020
Business Wire, January 14
Bank of America announced that it directed more than $13 million in 2020 to Native American communities across the U.S. disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. The funds included capital investments into Native American Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and philanthropic grants to nonprofits and institutions focused on meeting health, hunger and jobs-related needs in Native American communities as part of the bank’s overall efforts to advance economic opportunity and racial equality. Bank of America also donated personal protection equipment (PPE) masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to Native American communities last year.
New Smithsonian Post For Kevin Gover
Indian Country Today, January 14
Kevin Gover, Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, has been named the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for museums and culture, effective next week. Gover is director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and has served as acting undersecretary since February. The position oversees the Smithsonian’s history and art museums, its cultural centers, the Archives of American Art, exhibits and the National Collections Program.
‘Kill The Indian, Save The Man’: Stories Of Indian Boarding Schools Still Echo
Cronkite News, Addison Kliewer, January 14
About 180 white tombstones – each belonging to a child who died while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School – stand row-by-row in the dewy grass of central Pennsylvania, bearing the names of those who died while being forced to learn the white man’s way. From 1,500 to 1,800 Native American students from Oklahoma attended the Carlisle school but some never made it back home, dying from unknown causes at Carlisle. The purpose of school, as well as others across the nation, was to remove Native Americans from their cultures and lifestyles and assimilate them into the white man’s world.