Good morning, NUNAverse:
Yesterday, Secretary of the Interior announced a new initiative to uncover the full history of the U.S. Indian boarding schools program and protect sites near the schools where deceased students were buried. Secretary Haaland said the new initiative will identify boarding school facilities and known or potential burial sites near the schools, as well as the identities and tribal affiliations of the students who were taken to the schools. The initiative was prompted by the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada, according to the Interior Department.
A Missoula law firm is offering no-cost legal advocacy for families of missing Native peoples, Kimberly Dudik and Associates has announced. While attending listening sessions held by the Montana Department of Justice, Dudik said she heard Native families express frustration with the reporting and investigative process. The program offers legal representation, advice, and correspondence related to the investigations, help with records requests, and aid in coordinating and collaborating with different entities involved in a case.
A civil rights lawsuit is expected to be filed against Colorado following the passage of SB 21-116 also known as the “Prohibit American Indian Mascots” bill. The bill prohibits any tribal name, symbol, or image in public schools, charter schools, and universities across the state. It also imposes a $25,000 fine for schools that continue to use them past June 1, 2022. The Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) – a “non-profit organization committed to advocating for increased education about Native Americans, especially in public educational institutions, and greater recognition of Native American Heritage through the high-profile venues of sports and other public platforms” according to their website – is planning on filing a civil rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB 21-116, including a request for prospective and injunctive relief against the state.
An 80-acre plot of federal land on the island of O’ahu will be offered to 200 to 400 Native Hawaiians at a rate of $1 per year for 99 years. The 80-acre parcel of land in ‘Ewa Beach, Hawai‘i is part of a former Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and will provide homesteads for up to 400 Native Hawaiian families, the Interior Department said. The move is part of an effort to compensate Native Hawaiians for 1,500 acres of land that the government designated to become Native homelands but then used for other purposes. Under the 1920 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA), the 1,500 acres should have been distributed to people who are at least half Native Hawaiian.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Interior Dept. Land Transfer Makes Small Dent In Massive Waitlist Of Native Hawaiians Waiting To Get Land Back
Native News Online, Andrew Kennard, June 21
An 80-acre plot of surplus federal land on the island of O’ahu will be offered to 200 to 400 Native Hawaiians at a rate of $1 per year for 99 years. They are part of a waitlist of 28,788 Native Hawaiians who await land promised to them by a 1920 law. The 80-acre parcel of land in ‘Ewa Beach, Hawaii is part of a former Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, providing homesteads for up to 400 Native Hawaiian families, the Interior Department said. The move is part of an effort to compensate Native Hawaiians for 1,500 acres of land that the government designated to become Native homelands but then used for other purposes, the Interior Department said. Under the 1920 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA), the 1,500 acres should have been distributed to people who are at least half Native Hawaiian.
Boarding Schools:
US To Review Native American Boarding Schools’ Dark History
AP News, Susan Montoya Bryan, June 22
The federal government will investigate its past oversight of Native American boarding schools and work to “uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences” of policies that over the decades forced hundreds of thousands of children from their families and communities, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Tuesday. The unprecedented work will include compiling and reviewing records to identify past boarding schools, locate known and possible burial sites at or near those schools, and uncover the names and tribal affiliations of students, she said. A member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo and the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, Haaland outlined the initiative while addressing members of the National Congress of American Indians during the group’s midyear conference.
Interior Sec. Haaland Announces Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative To Shed Light On The Dark History Of The Boarding School System
Native News Online, Andrew Kennard, June 22
Interior Sec. Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) announced a new Interior Department initiative to uncover the full history of the U.S. Indian boarding schools program and protect sites near the schools where deceased students were buried. Haaland made the announcement in her remarks Tuesday at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2021 Mid Year Conference. Haaland said the new initiative will identify boarding school facilities and known or potential burial sites near the schools, as well as the identities and tribal affiliations of the students who were taken to the schools. The initiative was prompted by the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada, according to the Interior Department.
US Boarding Schools To Be Investigated
Indian Country Today, Kalle Benallie, June 22
The U.S. Department of Interior will formally investigate the impact of federal Indian boarding schools, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced before tribal leaders on Tuesday. The new “Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative” will result in a detailed report compiled by the Interior and will include historical records of boarding school locations, burial sites and enrollment logs of children’s names and tribal affiliations. Haaland made the announcement virtually at the 2021 National Congress of American Indians mid-year conference, a four-day gathering for tribal leaders, policymakers, and partners to discuss issues currently facing Indian Country. The unprecedented move will ultimately aim to create healing by understanding the true scope of boarding schools in the U.S., Haaland said.
MMIW:
Montana Firm Offers Legal Help With Missing Native Americans
AP News, June 21
A Missoula law firm is offering no-cost legal advocacy for families of missing Native Americans, Kimberly Dudik and Associates has announced. While attending listening sessions held by the Montana Department of Justice, Dudik said she heard Native American families express frustration with the reporting and investigative process. The program offers legal representation, advice and correspondence related to the investigations, help with records requests and aid in coordinating and collaborating with different entities involved in a case.
Law:
Civil Rights Lawsuit To Be Filed Against Colorado Over Passage Of Native American Mascot Bill
KOAA News, Mayo Davison, June 22
A civil rights lawsuit is expected to be filed against Colorado following the passage of SB 21-116 also known as the “Prohibit American Indian Mascots” bill. The bill prohibits any American Indian Tribe name, symbol, or image in public schools, charter schools, and universities across the state. It also imposes a $25,000 fine for schools that continue to use them past June 1, 2022. The Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA) is planning on filing a civil rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB 21-116, including a request for prospective and injunctive relief against the state. NAGA is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for increased education about Native Americans, especially in public educational institutions, and greater recognition of Native American Heritage through the high-profile venues of sports and other public platforms.
Native Mascots:
Connecticut Towns Could Lose Casino Money If Schools Keep Native American Mascots
CNN, David Williams, June 22
Some Connecticut communities could lose out on their share of a multimillion-dollar grant from the state’s casino fund unless their public schools stop using Native American nicknames or mascots. A provision in the 837-page budget implementer bill that is on its way to Gov. Ned Lamont after clearing the state legislature would bar the communities from receiving money from The Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Fund, which comes from the tribal casinos that operate in the state. The fund distributed more than $51 million to most of the state’s 169 municipalities in the 2021 fiscal year, according to the state’s Office of Policy and Management.
COVID-19:
First Nations In Yukon Taking Precaution During COVID-19 Outbreak
APTN News, Sara Connors, June 22
First Nations in the Yukon are taking precautions against another outbreak of the COVID-19 virus that has hit the territory. Two cases are in the small community of Carcross, about an hour outside Whitehorse which has closed its doors and only allowing essential services to be open. Chief Lynda Dickson says her citizens are concerned and that the closure was necessary due to the community’s vaccination numbers.
Other:
Activists Aims To Defeat Another Pipeline, But Native American Business Leaders Defend Construction
FOX News, Fred Lucas, June 22
Matt Gordon, vice president of his family’s construction company in Mahnomen, Minnesota, and a member of the White Earth Nation tribe, was troubled when environmental protesters – some claiming to speak for Native Americans – vandalized his company’s equipment. Gordon Construction is among the Native-owned companies that are contracting with the Canadian energy firm Enbridge on the construction of Line 3, a pipeline carrying oil from Canada into the United States. But climate activists – emboldened by stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline – have made Line 3 their new target. Earlier this month, hundreds of activist descended on the construction site and many of them vandalized contractor equipment, broke into construction trailers, damaged environmental safeguards intended to control erosion and attempted to trap workers while occupying the site, according to Enbridge.
Leonard Peltier Freedom Ride Arrives In Washington, D.C., Raises Awareness For His Release
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, June 22
The Leonard Peltier Freedom Ride is expected to arrive in Washington, D.C. this week on horseback after starting in Macy, Nebraska on June 7, 2021, more than 1,100 miles away. Currently, riders are stalled in Richmond, Virginia, which is about 100 miles south of Washington and are expected to arrive in the nation’s capital tomorrow, said one of the organizers. The Freedom Riders demonstrated on horseback at various locations on their journey to bring awareness for Leonard Peltier, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa man convicted for the killing of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. Many, including some 50 members of Congress and Judge Gerald Heaney (8th Circuit Court of Appeals) who sat as a member of the court in two of Peltier’s appeals believe that Peltier was wrongfully convicted in 1977 for a crime he did not commit. Peltier is currently incarcerated at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Coleman, Florida.
Umatilla Tribes Lead The Way In Reacquisition Of Treaty Lands
Columbia Insight, June 22
After deciding the U.S. government was never going to live up to its obligations, a pro-active plan to buy back its lands has brought the Umatilla Tribes national recognition. Thirty-two years ago, when the Umatilla Tribes realized non-Indians owned more property on the 172,000-acre reservation than the combined total for tribal government and tribal allottees, it embarked on a 50-year plan to buy back its land. Thanks to an aggressive Land Acquisition Program, today the Tribes own 94,590 acres. Since 1990, the Tribes have purchased 77,346 acres—43,393 acres in fee status and 33,953 acres in trust status.
Shawnee Reclaim The Great Serpent Mound
Indian Country Today, Mary Annette Pember, June 21
The Shawnee tribe returned home to the Serpent Mound on the longest day of the year.
The Summer Solstice, June 20, the longest day of the year, marks the first time that the Shawnee tribe has officially returned to the Serpent Mound located in Ohio to present their history and connection to this place that they called home so many years ago. Although it was certainly ancestors of the Shawnee people who built the magnificent serpent shaped mound, the largest earthwork effigy in the world, Ohio failed to involve the tribe in conveying its meaning to the public until now. Glenna Wallace, chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and Ben Barnes, chief of the Shawnee Tribe, also located in Oklahoma, spent the weekend telling visitors to the Serpent Mound historical site about their peoples’ and ancestors’ connection to Ohio and the mound.