Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The Hopi Tribe in Northeast Arizona last week issued a “red alert” for reservation-wide lockdown in response to rising COVID-19 infections. All residents are encouraged to get vaccinated, work remotely when possible, wear a mask in public spaces, and limit travel. The tribe recommended schools re-open only if they can prove social distancing measures are in place. Within the last two weeks, there were close to 300 active cases, about half of which tested positive the past week alone. Red alert status is meant to convey the “seriousness of the pandemic…due to the alarming rate of COVID-19 cases,” according to the tribe’s Public Health Authority Royce Jenkins.
Emergency management officials on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota have a new building, but they have been operating out of an old jail that’s set to be torn down. That’s because the new building near a small airport doesn’t have water and sewer connected, said Lislie Mesteth, who runs the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s solid waste program. A new round of grant funding that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday will make those connections and help emergency responders into their new digs. The $3.4 million grant to the Oglala Sioux Tribe is part a third round of “imminent threat funding” from HUD, using money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The latest infusion — $83 million — will benefit 74 tribes across the country and boost the total amount awarded so far to $209 million spread among 191 tribes.
Cynthia Chavez Lamar has been named the incoming director for the National Museum of the American Indian. Her position is historic as she is the first Native woman to be a Smithsonian Museum Director. Chavez Lamar is a citizen of San Felipe Pueblo, and has ancestry of Hopi, Tewa, and Navajo. She will supervise the museum’s three facilities: the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York, and the Cultural Resources Center in Maryland. Lamar started out as a museum intern for the National Museum of the American Indian in 1994. She said it left her with the hope to work there again.
Tribes in Oklahoma have taken to Twitter to condemn Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s comments made at the Oklahoma History Center during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event on Monday. Governor Stitt, a member of the Cherokee Nation, used a speaking opportunity to denounce the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, saying Martin Luther King, Jr. would be “disgusted” by it. “I believe that freedom fighters like Dr. King would be astounded, maybe even disgusted by the McGirt ruling,” said Governor Stitt. “Because the ruling created two sets of rules for Oklahomans, based on their race. In eastern Oklahoma right now, there is not equal protection under the law.” “King believed, as I do, that every citizen of this nation is granted the same rights and opportunities under our constitution,” Stitt said. Several Tribes responded to Stitt’s comments on the McGirt decision on Twitter, including the Muscogee Nation.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Health:
Hopi Tribe Issues “Red Alert” In Response To Rising COVID-19 Infections
Native News Online, January 19
The Hopi Tribe in Northeast Arizona last week issued a “red alert” for reservation-wide lockdown in response to rising Covid-19 infections. All residents are encouraged to get vaccinated, work remotely when possible, wear a mask in public spaces, and limit travel. The tribe recommended schools re-open only if they can prove social distancing measures are in place. Within the last two weeks, there were close to 300 active cases, about half of which tested positive the past week alone. Red alert status is meant to convey the “seriousness of the pandemic…due to the alarming rate of COVID-19 cases,” according to the tribe’s Public Health Authority Royce Jenkins. “It is going on three years and we all must do our part to continue to be on the defense and offense combating COVID-19,” he wrote in the alert issued Jan. 14. Though 91 percent of eligible tribal members are vaccinated, The Hopi Health Department reported just over 63 million positive covid cases nationally as of last Thursday, 1.5 million of which are in the state of Arizona.
Report Indicates Pandemic, Racism Exacerbated Food Insecurity In Native Communities
WIBW, Sarah Motter, January 19
A recent report has found 48% of Native communities were unable to keep their families fed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizations have blamed it on racism coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates of the Native American Agriculture Fund, Food Research & Action Center, and Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative say they have invited the public to a virtual discussion about food insecurity during COVID-19. The report found 48% of Native Americans and Alaska Natives said during the pandemic the food bought for their household did not last long enough and they did not have money to get more. FRAC said the report shines a light on challenges of food security in Indian Country and the Tribally-driven solutions needed to address those head-on. The organizations said data is essential to track progress and get resources to help alleviate the issue, as well as fuel an adequate response to hunger in Native communities.
Native Mascots:
Feds OK Renaming Lake County Creek To Remove Offensive Name
AP News, January 19
A federal board has renamed a Lake County creek to remove its longtime name considered offensive to Native Americans. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the change in December that officially renamed Squaw Creek to Manitou Creek, although it will take time to replace the creek’s signage and official designation. The three-member Manitou Creek Drainage District, whose name was also changed, had solicited support and navigated the federal bureaucracy to have the name of the 15-mile (24.2-kilometer-long) creek changed. The change will be made in the federal Geographic Names Information System, the nation’s official geographic names repository. County officials also will be asked to formally change the name where it is referenced.
Law:
State Leaders Call For Teaching Native American History, Culture In Schools
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) want Californians to have a better understanding of the history and culture of California’s Native American people. At the State Capitol last week, Thurmond joined Ramos, the only Native American serving in the Legislature as the lawmaker announced that he will introduce a bill encouraging school districts to collaborate with local tribes to increase knowledge about California Native Americans in their communities. Ramos, who is the first American Indian ever to be elected to the Legislature, cited a similar effort being made in Washington State. Thurmond said he is excited about the initiative and honored to be working along with Ramos to integrate Native American studies into California public education. Ramos said a deeper understanding of Native American people and their sovereignty would help to get rid of enduring racist stereotypes and misperceptions stuck in the imaginations of some Californians.
Other:
Tribal Housing Grants Benefit 74 Tribes
AP News, Felicia Fonseca, January 19
Emergency management officials on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota have a new building, but they have been operating out of an old jail that’s set to be torn down. That’s because the new building near a small airport doesn’t have water and sewer connected, said Lislie Mesteth, who runs the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s solid waste program. A new round of grant funding that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday will make those connections and help emergency responders into their new digs. The $3.4 million grant to the Oglala Sioux Tribe is part a third round of “imminent threat funding” from HUD, using money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The latest infusion — $83 million — will benefit 74 tribes across the country and boost the total amount awarded so far to $209 million spread among 191 tribes. At least one more round of funding is coming with the remaining $71 million. Tribes have been eagerly awaiting the money to cover cost overruns for existing projects and to start new ones. Tribal officials had expected more grant funding to be released last last year and have been texting, emailing and calling each other routinely for updates.
First Native woman To Lead Smithsonian American Indian Museum
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, January 19
Cynthia Chavez Lamar has been named the incoming director for the National Museum of the American Indian. Her position is historic as she is the first Native woman to be a Smithsonian museum director. Chavez Lamar is a citizen of San Felipe Pueblo, and a maternal ancestry of Hopi, Tewa and Navajo. She said she is excited to begin her tenure on Feb. 14. She will supervise the museum’s three facilities: the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York and the Cultural Resources Center in Maryland. Chavez Lamar started out as a museum intern for the National Museum of the American Indian in 1994. She said it left her with the hope to work there again. With her eventually returning as a curator in 2000 for five years, it was that position which planted the idea of possibly being the director of the museum one day.
Smithsonian Names New Director Of National Museum Of The American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, & The Cultural Resources Center In Maryland
Native News Online, January 19
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is getting its first ever Native female director: Cynthia Chavez Lamar (San Felipe Pueblo). Chavez Lamar will oversee the museum’s three facilities: the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., the museum’s George Gustav Heye Center in Manhattan, and the Cultural Resources Center in Maryland, which houses the museum’s collections and its repatriation offices. Chavez Lamar has worn many hats at the museum, beginning as a museum intern in 1994 and later serving as an associate curator. Since early 2021 she has served as the acting associate director for collections and operations. She succeeds former director Kevin Gover (Pawnee), who moved to Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for Museums and Culture in Jan. 2021 and was temporarily replaced by Machel Monenerkit.
Sundance Puts Spotlight On Indigenous Films
Indian Country Today, Dan Ninham, January 19
There are nine Indigenous filmmakers featured at this year’s acclaimed Sundance Film Festival, telling stories of traditions, ambitions and aspirations in short and feature-length films and multimedia productions. The festival runs Jan. 20-30 in Park City, Utah, but will not feature in-person events this year because of the pandemic. The program includes dramatic and documentary features and short films, series and episodic content, and New Frontier productions, showcasing emerging media in the form of multimedia installations, performances, and films. Overall, more than 100 films and special productions will be showcased at the festival. The Sundance Institute has a long history of supporting Native film through its Indigenous program, which offers three fellowships to burgeoning filmmakers, officials said. The institute has included more than 110 Indigenous filmmakers and more than 90 tribes over the years. Sundance also has issued a land acknowledgement for several years to the Ute Tribal Nation as the ancestral keepers of the land where the festival is held. Many of the Indigenous filmmakers featured this year also acknowledged the keepers of the lands where their films were made.
Tribes In Oklahoma Take To Social Media To Criticize Oklahoma Governor Stitt’s Mlk Jr. Comments
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, January 18
Tribes in Oklahoma have taken to Twitter to condemn Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s comments made at the Oklahoma History Center during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event on Monday. Gov. Stitt, a member of the Cherokee Nation, used a speaking opportunity to denounce the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision, saying Martin Luther King, Jr. would be “disgusted” by it. “I believe that freedom fighters like Dr. King would be astounded, maybe even disgusted by the McGirt ruling,” said Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt in a speech on Monday. “Because the ruling created two sets of rules for Oklahomans, based on their race. In eastern Oklahoma right now, there is not equal protection under the law.” “King believed, as I do, that every citizen of this nation is granted the same rights and opportunities under our constitution,” Stitt said. The McGirt ruling refers to the case McGirt v. Oklahoma. In it, the court considered the case of convicted child rapist Jimcy McGirt. In an effort to overturn his conviction, McGirt claimed he was wrongly prosecuted by the state of Oklahoma because he is American Indian and his crimes occurred on the Muscogee (Creek) reservation. Several Tribes responded to Stitt’s comments on the McGirt decision on Twitter, including the Muscogee Nation.