Good Morning, NUNAverse,
On Wednesday June 15 the United States Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Indian Tribe of Texas, determining that the state cannot regulate electronic bingo on reservation lands. The case, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Indian Tribe vs. Texas, overturns a 2020 Fifth Circuit Court determination that Texas had the ability to stop the tribe from gaming activities on their land. Texas claimed that the Ysleta del Sur and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act of 1987 allows the state to prevent the three federally recognized tribes in the state from offering bingo. Meanwhile, bingo is allowed elsewhere in Texas. The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo argued that the state was singling out the tribe over its electronic bingo games at an entertainment center in El Paso. The state argued that e-bingo on reservations goes beyond what the state allows.
A House committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would allow tribes in Maine to benefit from future federal laws, despite a state land claims settlement.Wabanaki tribes in Maine are governed by the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 that stipulates they’re bound by state law. That sets them apart from the other federally recognized tribes. The federal bill won’t change the state settlement, but would update federal law to allow Maine tribes to benefit from federal laws going forward. Both chambers of the Maine Legislature advanced a bill to amend the land claims settlement to restore rights that tribes forfeited, but it stalled under a threat of veto from Governor Janet Mills. The federal proposal would ensure Maine’s tribes can benefit from federal laws going forward, Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said.
A central Indiana school district that adopted a Native mascot nearly a century ago has dropped a basketball pregame routine where students dressed as American Indians performed a “peace pipe” ceremony. The Anderson Community Schools’ athletic teams will continue to use the Indians name and logo, but the pipe routine performed before Anderson High School’s basketball games is being eliminated immediately under recommendations unanimously approved Tuesday by the district’s school board. Superintendent Dr. Joe Cronk proposed the changes, which include moving toward initiating a formal partnership with the Delaware Tribe of Indians to modernize some of the district’s most visible traditions. The district formed a task force this year to review how it represents the Native history of the city of Anderson, which is named after William Anderson, a former chief of the Delaware (Lenape) Tribe.
Forty-five tribal communities will work towards bolstering their Native languages, thanks to a $7 million boon from the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Economic Development announced June 15 by Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community).The Living Languages Grant Program provides tribes and tribal organizations with funding to document and revitalize their Native languages. For more than 150 years, federal Indian boarding schools operated in the US with an objective of eliminating Native languages, contributing to a loss of fluent speakers today.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Law:
Texas Supreme Court Rules State Can’t Regulate E-Bingo on Reservations, Win for Tribes
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, June 15
On Wednesday June 15 the United States Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Indian Tribe of Texas, determining that the state cannot regulate electronic bingo on reservation lands. The case, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Indian Tribe vs. Texas, overturns a 2020 Fifth Circuit Court determination that Texas had the ability to stop the tribe from gaming activities on their land. Texas claimed that the Ysleta del Sur and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act of 1987 allows the state to prevent the three federally recognized tribes in the state from offering bingo. Meanwhile, bingo is allowed elsewhere in Texas. The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo argued that the state was singling out the tribe over its electronic bingo games at an entertainment center in El Paso. The state argued that e-bingo on reservations goes beyond what the state allows.
Bill To Give Maine Tribes Benefits Of Federal Laws Advances
AP News, June 15
A House committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would allow tribes in Maine to benefit from future federal laws, despite a state land claims settlement. Wabanaki tribes in Maine are governed by the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 that stipulates they’re bound by state law. That sets them apart from the other 570 federally recognized tribes. The federal bill won’t change the state settlement, but would update federal law to give Maine tribes to benefit from federal laws going forward. Both chambers of the Maine Legislature advanced a bill to amend the land claims settlement to restore rights that tribes forfeited, but it stalled under a threat of veto from Democratic Governor Janet Mills. The federal proposal would ensure Maine’s tribes can benefit from federal laws going forward, Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said.
Missouri Man Accused Of Illegal Dig At Native Site
AP News, June 15
A Missouri man and others broke into a prehistoric Native archeological site and used shovels, rakes and other tools to dig up artifacts, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, according to a federal indictment. Johnny Lee Brown, 70, of Clinton, Missouri, was charged in an 11-count indictment filed April 26 but unsealed and made public on Tuesday. The indictment alleges that Brown, two known co-conspirators and others, excavated archeological items from federal land at Truman Lake near the town of Tightwad, Missouri, at least 10 times from June 2016 through September. The site is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and located on a peninsula. It dates to the Late Archaic Period, 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. The indictment states that the findings indicate it was used as a camp site, as a location for stone processing, or both.
Native Mascots:
After Review, Indiana District Ends `Peace Pipe’ Routine
AP News, June 15
A central Indiana school district that adopted a Native mascot nearly a century ago has dropped a basketball pregame routine where students dressed as American Indians performed a “peace pipe” ceremony. The Anderson Community Schools’ athletic teams will continue to use the Indians name and logo, but the pipe routine performed before Anderson High School’s basketball games is being eliminated immediately under recommendations unanimously approved Tuesday by the district’s school board. Superintendent Dr. Joe Cronk proposed the changes, which include moving toward initiating a formal partnership with the Delaware Tribe of Indians to modernize some of the district’s most visible traditions. The district formed a task force this year to review how it represents the Native history of the city of Anderson, which is named after William Anderson, a former chief of the Delaware (Lenape) Tribe.
Health:
Life Expectancy Drops More In The U.S. Than Other Wealthy Nations, Esp Among Natives
Boise State Public Radio | NPR, Madelyn Beck, June 16
U.S. life expectancy was already lower than other high-income nations — and the gap was widening — before 2019. New research suggests it’s gotten worse. “2020 was just a horrific year in terms of excess mortality, and it was disproportionately concentrated among marginalized, racialized, populations,” said Ryan Masters, an associate professor of sociology at University of Colorado, Boulder. Masters led the research, which was published as a pre-print in health sciences server MedRxiv. “The U.S. white population, for example, lost about one and one half years (of life expectancy), but the Hispanic population lost about three and a half years. And the Native population lost over four years of life expectancy,” he said. For Native men, he estimated they lost about 4.75 years of life expectancy, “which are numbers you just don’t hear of in modern day society.” That ties into long-standing oppression and isolation of these communities. However, he said by 2021, things did get slightly better. Through tribal actions and vaccination campaigns, life expectancies rebounded for older men who are American Indian or Alaska Native.
Other:
Indian Affairs Living Languages Grant Program To Help Sustain Indigenous Knowledge
Native News Online, June 15
Forty five tribal communities will work towards bolstering their Native languages, thanks to a $7 million boon from the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Economic Development announced June 15 by Assistant Interior Secretary Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community). The Living Languages Grant Program provides tribes and tribal organizations with funding to document and revitalize their Native languages. For more than 150 years, federal Indian boarding schools operated in the US with an objective of eliminating Native languages, contributing to a loss of fluent speakers today.
St. Paul Schools Develops Policy On Native Smudging
AP News, June 15
St. Paul Public Schools officials are drafting a new policy to allow and encourage the Native practice of smudging at schools and events in Minnesota’s second-largest district. Smudging is the cultural practice of burning sage or other sacred herbs for healing and to cleanse the soul of negative thoughts. Smudging is already taking place on an informal bases at some St. Paul schools, but supporters want to develop an official policy. In a presentation to school board members Tuesday, John Bobolink, supervisor of the district’s American Indian Education Program, said that during a smudge, cedar, sage, or sweetgrass is placed in a shell or container and ignited. The flames are gently blown out, creating wafting, cleansing smoke.
In Louisiana, Natives Struggle To Recover From Ida
AP News, Rebecca Santana, June 15
When Ida barreled through southeast Louisiana on August 29, 2021, it slammed into an area home to many tribes, battering people already struggling to overcome decades of coastal erosion and the long shadow of discrimination. With the start of a new hurricane season predicted to be as busy as the last, tribal officials worry their people could be in the crosshairs again. Other tribes in southeastern Louisiana also were hammered. Theresa Dardar (Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe) said only about 12 homes in the lower part of the Pointe-au-Chien community actually survived the storm. Farther west, where many members of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw live, Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar said everyone had some sort of damage, with about 20% of homes a total loss, even her own. Natives have lived in the southeastern Louisiana bayou regions since long before French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier reached the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1682.