Good Morning, NUNAverse,
The Canadian government has agreed to pay more than $2 billion to hundreds of Indigenous communities to settle a lawsuit centered around nearly a century of abuse suffered by Native children at residential schools. The lawsuit, filed by 325 First Nations communities in 2012, sought compensation for the physical, sexual, and mental abuse suffered by Indigenous children during the residential school era in Canada.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of Seneca Nation when it rejected the State of New York’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the tribe in 2018. The lawsuit alleged ongoing violations of federal law related to the continued occupation of the New York State Thruway on the Nation’s Cattaraugus Territory. At issue is a three-mile stretch of highway on I-90 that goes through the Seneca Reservation, which is about 30 miles south of Buffalo, New York.
North Dakota lawmakers introduced a bill last week that would solidify the rules of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) into state law. Representative Jayme Davis, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is sponsoring House Bill 1536, and said that the law would ensure that Native children grow up with their cultural ties intact.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals recently ruled the historic Kickapoo Reservation in the central part of the state was disestablished more than a century ago and no longer exists. The court’s decision involves a case in which a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma challenged his state conviction on four counts of lewd acts with a child. The court agreed with a lower court’s ruling that the reservation had been ceded back to the United States in 1891 in the form of land allotments and cash payments to tribal citizens.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Law:
U.S. Circuit Court Rules In Favor Of The Seneca Nation In Case Against State Of New York
Native News Online, January 28
North Dakota Introduces State ICWA Bill
Native News Online, Elyse Wild, January 25
Hia-Ced O’odham Seek Federal Recognition
Cronkite News, Scianna Garcia, January 24
Bill Could Change South Dakota Tribal Relations Committee
South Dakota Searchlight, Joshua Haiar, January 23
Oklahoma Court Says Kickapoo Reservation Was Disestablished
AP News, January 23
Boarding Schools:
Canada To Pay Survivors Of Indian Residential Schools More Than $2b
Native News Online, January 23
Politics:
Navajo Nation Elects Its First Female Speaker
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, January 25
Health:
American Indian Mental Health Organization Granted NGO Consultive Status By United Nations
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, January 25
Blackfeet Tribal Council Makes Narcan Training Mandatory
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, January 24
Native Mascots:
Why Billboards Urging Chiefs To ‘Change The Name And Stop The Chop’ Return For Playoffs
The Kansas City Star, Joseph Hernandez, January 27
Other:
Surgeon Wants To Be First Native To Summit Everest
Rapid City Journal, Darsha Dodge, January 29
Phoenix Suns Celebrates Native American Culture In Full Colors
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, January 29
Woman Who Faked Native American Heritage Resigns From Wisconsin University Residency
Fox News, Taylor Penley, January 29
The Museum Built On Native American Burial Mounds
ProPublica, Logan Jaffe, January 27
Donated Quilts For Native Families Provide Kinship
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, January 27
A $250,000 Check Will Help Minnesota Group Buy Back Land Taken From Native Americans
Star Tribune, David Chanen, January 27
Dept. Of Interior Halts Mining In Pristine Boundary Waters With 20-Year Moratorium
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, January 27
US Moves To Protect Minnesota Wilderness From Planned Mine
AP News, Steve Karnowski, January 26
Biden-Harris Administration To Launch Summit Series To Advance Asian American, Native Hawaiian, And Pacific Islander Economic Equity
US Department Of Health And Human Services, January 26
Northern Arizona University Secures $10m To Advance Indigenous Students’ Success
Native News Online, January 25
Salem Nonprofit Gets Grant To Teach Documentary Work To Native Americans
Salem Reporter, Kevin Opsahl, January 25
A Proposed Gold Mine Generates Debate Among Alaska Natives
Alaska Beacon, Yereth Rosen, January 24
Hockey Cards Shed Light On First Nations Players
AP News, Stephen Whyno, January 24
Storm Deaths On Lakota Land ‘Could Have Been Prevented’
AP News, Heather Hollingsworth, January 23
Native Hawaiians Flock To Las Vegas For Affordable Living
AP News, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, January 23
Report: 11 Alabama Institutions Hold Native American Remains
Montgomery Advertiser, Evan Mealins, January 23
Native American Languages Are Disappearing. Colleges Could Help Preserve Them.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sylvia Goodman, January 23