Good Morning, NUNAverse,
When she got the letter from the Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna), Kelly Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island) felt honored, then humbled. Dennis has been selected to serve on the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee, an inaugural board composed of tribal representatives from each of the 12 regions across Indian Country. Dennis will serve as the Eastern Regional Primary Member representing 34 tribal nations and more than 62,000 tribal members in the Eastern region. The advisory committee was announced as part of the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, meant to ensure tribal leaders “have direct and consistent contact and communication with the current and future Department officials” to discuss Interior programs and funding that impact tribal nations. Other advisory board selections include Navajo Nation President Jonathon Nez representing the Navajo Nation Region; Chairman Walter Echo-Hawk of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma representing the Southern Plains Region; and President Whitney Gravelle of the Bay Mills Indian Community for the Midwest Region.
Tuesday was a historic day for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen paid a visit. Yellen’s visit marked the first time that a Treasury Secretary has visited a tribal nation. Secretary Yellen spent the day traveling around the reservation and met with leaders of South Dakota’s tribal governments. The goal was to strengthen relationships, and for federal officials to see how American Rescue Plan Act funds are being put to good use.During her remarks, Secretary Yellen addressed the “significant inequities” facing tribal governments, saying many are a result of former federal policies. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is using millions in federal funding to increase broadband connectivity, provide rental housing, and utility assistance, and promote small businesses. Newly nominated U.S. Treasurer Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba (Mohegan Tribe) was also in attendance – the first Native to hold the position.
The issue already went to the Supreme Court but supporters of two sides of the debate argued again last week over the definition of tribes vs. Alaska Native Corporations. At the mid-year conference of the National Congress of American Indians, the Yup’ik village of Akiak submitted a resolution calling for the organization to closely monitor federal legislation benefiting tribes. The goal was to make sure Congress doesn’t inadvertently direct money meant for federally recognized tribes to other entities. Discussions were heated June 14 at a Jurisdiction & Tribal Government subcommittee meeting at the conference and again at an Alaska caucus meeting June 15. By June 16, after shelving the controversial resolution, Alaska delegates were calling for unity.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Shinnecock Attorney & Secretary Of The Council Of Trustees Kelly Dennis Appointed To New Department Of Interior Advisory Committee
Native News Online, Jenna Kunze, June 22
When she got the letter from the Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Kelly Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island) felt honored, then humbled. Dennis has been selected to serve on the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee, an inaugural board composed of tribal representatives from each of the 12 regions across Indian Country. Dennis will serve as the Eastern Regional Primary Member representing 34 tribal nations and more than 62,000 tribal members in the Eastern region. The advisory committee was announced as part of the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, meant to ensure tribal leaders “have direct and consistent contact and communication with the current and future Department officials” to discuss Interior programs and funding that impact tribal nations. Other advisory board selections include Navajo Nation President Jonathon Nez representing the Navajo Nation Region; Chairman Walter Echo-Hawk of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma representing the Southern Plains Region; and President Whitney Gravelle of the Bay Mills Indian Community for the Midwest Region.
Treasury Secretary Visits Rosebud Reservation, Discusses Economic Recovery
News Center 1, Darsha Nelson, June 22
Tuesday was a historic day for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen paid a visit. Yellen’s visit marked the first time that a Treasury Secretary has visited a tribal nation. Secretary Yellen spent the day traveling around the reservation and met with leaders of South Dakota’s tribal governments. The goal was to strengthen relationships, and for federal officials to see how American Rescue Plan Act funds are being put to good use.
During her remarks, Secretary Yellen addressed the “significant inequities” facing tribal governments, saying many are a result of former federal policies. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is using millions in federal funding to increase broadband connectivity, provide rental housing, and utility assistance, and promote small businesses. Newly nominated U.S. Treasurer Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba (Mohegan Tribe) was also in attendance – the first Native to hold the position.
Boarding Schools:
Native Leaders Push For Boarding School Commission
AP News, Susan Montoya Bryan, June 22
The federal government has a responsibility to tribes, Alaska Native villages and Native Hawaiian communities to fully support and revitalize education, language and cultural practices that prior boarding school policies sought to destroy, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said Wednesday. Haaland testified before a U.S. Senate committee that is considering legislation to establish a national commission on truth and healing to address intergenerational trauma stemming from the legacy of Native boarding schools in the United States. As the first and only Native Cabinet secretary, Haaland’s voice cracked with emotion and her eyes welled as she addressed the committee. Haaland, who is from Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, said the forced assimilation that happened over a century and half through the boarding school initiative was both traumatic and violent. She noted she herself was a product of those policies as her grandparents were removed from their families and sent to boarding schools.
Native Mascots:
Tampa High School Will Retire Its Native Mascot
AP News, June 22
A Florida school board sided with student leaders who asked to change the school’s Native mascot despite emotional testimony from alumni and an online petition with more than 6,000 signatures seeking to keep the “Chiefs.” Chamberlain High School’s student government association recommended dropping the mascot after surveying their classmates, finding that 58% consider the traditions offensive. The Hillsborough County School District’s Title VI Native Parent Advisory Council also recommended the change. The Hillsborough County School Board voted 5-1 Tuesday to drop the “Chiefs.” Board member Melissa Snively cast the dissenting vote. Many people at the meeting said they took pride in the mascot and feel “chief” conveys honor and respect, the Times reported. Even Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor, a school alum, said she’s “always a Chamberlain Chief,” Fox 13 reported. But Principal Jake Russell, at the school since 2017, said he never felt comfortable dressing in costume and taking part in game day rituals.
Health:
Tribes Show Little Interest In Offering Abortions On Reservations Despite Speculation They Could
Kaiser Health News, Arielle Zionts, June 23
Rachael Lorenzo started hearing the questions several weeks ago from strangers on Twitter and reporters seeking interviews: Since tribes are sovereign nations, with their own laws, could they offer abortion services on Native land within states that may soon outlaw abortion? And would they? The speculation began last month, after a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion suggested the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion nationwide. Lorenzo and other Indigenous abortion rights advocates say the questions have mostly come from non-Native people. The advocates said they hadn’t heard of any tribe or Indigenous organization advocating for opening clinics on tribal land to offer abortion services. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading provider of abortions, told KHN that it is not exploring this option and that such decisions should be left to Indigenous people. Any such plan would be fraught with legal, financial, and political hurdles, the advocates said. And they wondered why many people now asking about opening clinics on reservations didn’t seem interested in health care access there before abortion rights were threatened nationwide.
Other:
Tempers Flare Over Definition Of Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations
Indian Country Today, Joaqlin Estus, June 22
The issue already went to the Supreme Court but supporters of two sides of the debate argued again last week over the definition of tribes vs. Alaska Native corporations. At the mid-year conference of the National Congress of American Indians, the Yup’ik village of Akiak submitted a resolution calling for the organization to closely monitor federal legislation benefiting tribes. The goal was to make sure Congress doesn’t inadvertently direct money meant for federally recognized tribes to other entities. Discussions were heated June 14 at a Jurisdiction & Tribal Government subcommittee meeting at the conference and again at an Alaska caucus meeting June 15. By June 16, after shelving the controversial resolution, Alaska delegates were calling for unity. At issue is the definition of tribes. Alaska is unique in that the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 created and transferred title to 40 million acres and almost $1 billion dollars to for-profit Native corporations, not to federally recognized tribes. The companies were created to develop their lands to make a profit and issue dividends to shareholders.
Ponca Tribe Gets its Tomahawk Back
Native News Online, Neely Bardwell, June 22
The long-lost pipe-tomahawk that belonged to Chief Standing Bear was finally returned home to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska on June 3. Standing Bear is recognized as one of the first civil-rights heroes for Native people. In 1879, he persuaded a federal judge to recognize Native people as persons who are entitled to the right to sue for their freedom. This decision in Standing Bear v. Crook came after Bear sued General George Crook for wrongful imprisonment. Crook had captured and jailed Standing Bear and his band of Poncas in 1877, when, after being forcibly relocated to Oklahoma, they returned to Nebraska to bury Standing Bear’s son. Several current citizens of the tribe are Standing Bear’s descendants. On June 3, several members of the Ponca Tribal Council and staff visited Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to retrieve the pipe-tomahawk. They were joined by members from the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma to celebrate its return.
Heard Museum Celebrates Pride Month With All-Native Drag Show
Cronkite News, Nikita Chaturvedi, June 22
As the audience screamed its enthusiasm, the click of heels echoed across the hall. Indigenous drag queens took the stage to perform classic pop songs – gratefully accepting dollar bills from fans in the front row. The Heard Museum, renowned for showcasing Indigenous art from around the world, opens its doors free of charge on the first Friday of each month. This month, First Friday showcased the museum’s inaugural Native Drag Show, which was limited to Indigenous queens, to celebrate Pride Month. Performing were Miss New Mexico Pride 2022, Tomahawk Martini; Mx Titos Pride 2022, Te D. DeMornay; K.Yasss Savage; Ritavon DeMornay; and drag king Felix. Each lip-synced a pop tune, such as Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and Gwen Stefani’s “Bubble Pop Electric” – strutting the stage in glamorous attire and interacting with the audience. Whether it was doing the splits or teaching audience members their dance moves, the queens made sure the show was full of dazzle and cheer.
5 Tribes Will Work With Federal Officials To Co-Manage Bears Ears National Monument
CNN, Nicole Chavez, June 22
In an unprecedented move, federal officials signed an agreement to collectively manage the more than 1.3 million acres of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument with five tribes. The Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, along with representatives from the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, and the Ute Indian Tribe formalized the arrangement on Saturday, just before unveiling a new sign for the monument that includes the tribal nations’ insignia. Carleton Bowekaty, lieutenant governor of the Pueblo of Zuni tribe, said having the opportunity to manage the tribes’ ancestral homes is the best avenue for restorative justice.