Good Morning, NUNAverse,
Senators Brian Schatz from Hawai’i and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska were formally elected as Chair and Vice chair, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Both retain the committee positions they held in the 117th Congress. During the last session, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs was instrumental in passing bipartisan legislation including laws that protected tribal sovereignty as well as provided billions of dollars in funding for Indian Country.
Last week, a federal court in South Dakota heard opening arguments in a case that will determine if the federal government is providing adequate law-enforcement to one of the nation’s largest reservations. In a complaint filed on July 26, 2022, the Oglala Sioux Tribe asserted the federal government has failed to uphold its trust responsibility to the tribe by providing adequate law enforcement on the 2.1 million-acre Pine Ridge Reservation.
Yesterday, the Kansas City football team won the Super Bowl in Arizona, and fans celebrated throughout the game with their controversial chant – the “tomahawk chop” – in a state with one of the largest Native populations in the country. The New York Times reports on the chant, noting that it has been criticized as an embarrassing caricature of culture that is long overdue for retirement.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Native Mascots:
As Kansas City Returns to the Super Bowl, So Too Will Fans’ Chop
The New York Times, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, February 9
Native Americans Double Down On Protests Against Kansas City Mascot Ahead Of Super Bowl
The Hill, Julia Shapero, February 11
Native Americans Renew Protests Of Kansas City Chiefs Mascot
AP News, Terry Tang, February 9
Law:
Montana Lawmakers Make Another Bid For Indigenous Peoples Day
Indian Country Today, JoVonne Wagner, February 8
Oglala Sioux Tribe v. United States Trial Begins This Week
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, February 7
Politics:
Schatz, Murkowski Retain Leadership Of Senate Committee On Indian Affairs
Native News Online, February 9
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee) Appointed to Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Native News Online, February 6
Other:
How Sports Betting Upended The Economies Of Native American Tribes
The New York Times, David Chen, February 10
AZ Shop Owner’s Racist Outburst At ESPN Shoot
TMZ, February 9