Good morning, NUNAverse:

The Washington Senate has approved a measure to ban the use of Native names, symbols and images as school mascots, logos and team names at most public schools in Washington. The bill passed the Democratic-led chamber on a bipartisan 40-9 vote and now heads back to the House — which passed the measure in February — for a final vote. Under the measure, school districts would have some time to phase out the mascot, team name or logo, but they would be required to select a new mascot by December 31 to take effect by the end of the 2021-22 school year. Importantly, the ban does not apply to schools located within Native areas or to schools in counties adjacent to Native areas, as long as the nearest tribe is consulted and authorizes the use of the name.

In a Tuesday news conference, Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill stated that the U.S. Congress must take action to allow American Indian tribes to compact with state governments to prosecute crimes in Indian Country and added that federal legislation is needed to allow that cooperation. The Cherokee Nation has filed charges in 440 criminal cases since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last July in the McGirt v. Oklahoma case which affirmed that prosecutors lack jurisdiction for crimes on tribal reservations in which the defendants or victims are tribal citizens.

According to the United States Forest Service, an ancient site of carved boulders and rock formations in a Georgia forest that has long been sacred to Native peoples has been vandalized with paint and deep scratches. The boulders are part of the Track Rock Gap site in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, a protected area of more than 800,000 acres where more than 100 figure petroglyphs were made on soapstone boulders by Native people in precolonial times.

Community Members of The American Indian Center in Minneapolis are closely watching the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who knelt on the neck of the late George Floyd for over nine minutes, due to the threat of local unrest during or after the trial. Following the death of George Floyd, the prime directive of the center was to protect community members from the police and the violence perpetrated against Native people. Now, community members are prepared to protect the area again, especially once a verdict is read. However, community members were encouraged to hear Medaria Arradondo, the police chief, testify on Monday that Mr. Chauvin had violated department policy when he knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck.

Keep reading for a full news update.

Law:

Cherokee Nation AG: Congress Must Allow State-Tribe Compacts

AP News, Ken Miller, April 7

The U.S. Congress must take action to allow American Indian tribes to compact with state governments to prosecute crimes in Indian Country, Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill said Tuesday. The tribe has filed charges in 440 criminal cases since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last July in what is known as the McGirt decision that Oklahoma prosecutors lack jurisdiction for crimes on tribal reservations in which the defendants or victims are tribal citizens, Hill said during a news conference. The tribe must be able to work with the state to prosecute some cases, Hill said, adding that federal legislation is needed to allow that cooperation.

Minneapolis’s Native American Community Is Closely Watching The Trial.

The New York Times, Matt Furber, April 7

The regular updates that Johnny Crow’s girlfriend gives him about the former officer Derek Chauvin’s trial trigger reminders of how the Native American community in Minneapolis rallied to support one another in the months after George Floyd died. The American Indian Center, where Mr. Crow works, was near areas that were damaged in protests after Mr. Floyd’s death. Based in South Minneapolis, they organized community watches and gave members advice on those nights, he said. The threat of unrest during or after the trial is still a concern, Mr. Crow said. Mr. Crow said he was encouraged to hear Medaria Arradondo, the police chief, testify on Monday that Mr. Chauvin had violated department policy when he knelt on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.

Native Mascots:

Senate Approves Ban On Native American Mascots At Schools

AP News, April 7

The Washington Senate has approved a measure to ban the use of Native American names, symbols and images as school mascots, logos and team names at most public schools in Washington. The bill passed the Democratic-led chamber on a bipartisan 40-9 vote Tuesday night and now heads back to the House — which passed the measure in February — for a final vote. The House will need to concur with a change made by a Senate committee that added a grant program to help support schools that incur costs related to the proposed change. Under the measure, school districts would have some time to phase out the mascot, team name or logo, but they would be required to select a new mascot by Dec. 31 to take effect by the end of the 2021-22 school year.

COVID-19:

Summoning Seniors: Big New Push To Vaccinate Older Americans

AP News, Zeke Miller, April 7

About 76% of Americans aged 65 and older have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccines since authorization in December, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the rate of new vaccinations among the group most vulnerable to adverse virus outcomes has dramatically slowed. It’s a growing source of concern, not only because of the potential for preventable deaths and serious illness among seniors in coming months but also for what it could portend for America’s broader population. By government estimates, about 12.9 million American seniors have yet to receive their first shot. Even though they were the first age group prioritized for shots, more than 23% of those 75 and older have yet to be vaccinated.

Native News Online Launches Survey To Learn About COVID-19 And Vaccines In Indian Country

Native News Online, Levi Rickert, April 7

To learn more about your COVID-19 experience as an Indigenous person, Native News Online, in collaboration with Northwestern University, has developed and launched a survey to give you an opportunity to have your voice heard, which is so often ignored by mainstream media sources. Stephen Hersh, a Lecturer on the faculty at the Medill School of Journalism and an Affiliate at the university’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) who has been a survey researcher for over 30 years, took the lead in the survey’s design, says one thing that makes this survey unique is that it asked a lot of questions about where Native Americans are getting their news and information, in addition to the questions about healthcare.

Other:

Cherokee Nation Exploring Language Preservation Efforts In The Classroom

Indian Country Today, April 7

With only an estimated 2,500 fluent Cherokee speakers worldwide, Cherokee Nation’s investment in the preservation and promotion of the Cherokee language has never been more important. A new exhibit at John Ross Museum is providing a closer look at how that investment has been implemented in classroom settings, from the Cherokee Immersion School to the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, and everything in between.

TikTok Stardom, Inupiaq Style

Indian Country Today, Meghan Sullivan, April 7

Like thousands of others at the beginning of the pandemic, Patuk Glenn, Inupiaq, discovered TikTok as a way to cure lockdown boredom. But unlike most users of the popular social media app, Glenn was catapulted to TikTok fame. Three months after she made her first post, she officially had a growing list of 120,000 followers that hailed from all corners of the Earth. The reason behind her TikTok stardom? Inupiat culture. Glenn creates short clips demonstrating her everyday life in the nation’s northernmost community, Utqiagvik, Alaska.

Ancient Native American Site Is Defaced In Georgia Forest

The New York Times, Christine Hauser, April 7

An ancient site of carved boulders and rock formations in a Georgia forest that has long been sacred to Native Americans has been vandalized with paint and deep scratches, the United States Forest Service said. The boulders are part of the Track Rock Gap site in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, a protected area of more than 800,000 acres where more than 100 figure carvings known as petroglyphs were made on soapstone boulders by Native Americans in precolonial times, the service said. Five boulders had scratches and two had paint on them, said Steven Bekkerus, a spokesman for the Forest Service.

Indigenous Actor Joins ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ Cast

Indian Country Today, Shannon Shaw Duty, April 7

On Tuesday, Apple Original Films exclusively announced to Osage News that four actors would be joining the cast of Martin Scorsese’s upcoming, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The film is an adaptation of David Grann’s bestselling book of the same name. The story details the systematic murders of Osage tribal citizens in the 1920s and chronicles the birth of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that investigated and discovered the plot to kill Osages for their oil wealth. Indigenous actor William Belleau will portray Henry Roan, Louis Cancelmi will portray Kelsie Morrison, Jason Isbell will portray Bill Smith, and Sturgill Simpson will portray Henry Grammer.