Good morning, NUNAverse:
The Biden administration signaled in a court filing this week that it does not plan to cancel federal permits for Enbridge’s Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline project, despite pleas by Native leaders and environmental groups for the president to intervene. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used the filing to defend its decision in November to grant Enbridge a water permit for the project, the last major approval the Calgary, Alberta-based company needed. Wednesday’s filing by the Corps and its attorneys at the Department of Justice marks the first time President Biden’s administration has taken a public position on Enbridge’s plan to replace its aging Line 3, which carries oil from western Canada to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that he has urged Pope Francis to come to Canada to apologize for church-run boarding schools where hundreds of unmarked graves have been found, and he said Canadians are “horrified and ashamed” by their government’s longtime policy of forcing Indigenous children to attend such schools. “I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness, Pope Francis, to impress upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil,” Trudeau said.
Meanwhile, two Catholic churches burned down over the weekend in Western Canada, following two other churches burned last Monday. The two most recent churches were located near Indigenous communities at St. Ann’s Church and Chopaka Church, which are located within an hour of each other in British Columbia. The four church fires come in the wake of announcements of the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at a former residential school site in Kamloops, which is located in the southeastern region of British Columbia. Then, on Thursday, Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess First Nation announced the discovery of as many as 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School in the province of Saskatchewan.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Residential Schools:
Rosebud Sioux To Receive The Remains Of Their Children Who Died At The Former Carlisle Indian School
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26
The boy called One That Kills Horse arrived in the first group of children brought from South Dakota to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, stumbling off a train shortly before midnight on Oct. 6, 1879. The school renamed him Alvan. And after he died two years later, that was the name inscribed on his grave marker. Now representatives of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe have come to take him home, along with the remains of eight other sons and daughters, including five who were among that fateful first group. A 10th child is going back to her Aleutian people in Alaska.
Trudeau Says Pope Francis Should Apologize On Canadian Soil
AP News, Rob Gillies, June 25
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he has urged Pope Francis to come to Canada to apologize for church-run boarding schools where hundreds of unmarked graves have been found, and he said Canadians are “horrified and ashamed” by their government’s longtime policy of forcing Indigenous children to attend such schools. Indigenous leaders said this week that 600 or more remains were discovered at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which operated from 1899 to 1997 in the province of Saskatchewan. Last month, some 215 remains were reported at a similar school in British Columbia. From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools, most run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, in a campaign to assimilate them into Canadian society.
After Graves Were Discovered At Residential Schools In Canada, Catholic Churches Are Burning Down
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, June 25
Two more Catholic churches burned down in western Canada early Saturday. The churches were located near Indigenous communities at St. Ann’s Church and Chopaka Church, which are located within an hour of each other in British Columbia. The burnings came less than a week after two other Catholic churches in British Columbia burned down on Monday, which was National Indigenous Day in Canada. The four church fires come in the wake of announcements of the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at a former residential school site in Kamloops, which is located in the southeastern region of British Columbia. Then, on Thursday, Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess First Nation announced the discovery of as many as 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School in the province of Saskatchewan, about 1600 kilometers from Kamloops.
MMIW:
Montana Missing Persons Task Force Discusses Root Causes And Structural Change
Native News Online, Maria Silvers, June 26
Montana’s task force on missing Indigenous people met in Helena this week, digging into strategies to tackle the state’s intractable crisis. The Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, originally created in 2019, was reauthorized by the state Legislature this year and received $10,000 to operate through the biennium. Representatives from tribal nations have been working with state and federal law enforcement advisers to pinpoint gaps in the system when someone is reported missing.
Law:
Law Enforcement Violates Treaty Rights Near Line 3 Construction In Northern Minnesota
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, June 26
As construction continues on Enbridge Line 3 replacement project so does activity by those who oppose the controversial tar sands oil pipeline in northern Minnesota. On Wednesday, several people locked themselves to equipment used by Enbridge to bore through the Straight River in Hubbard County, Minn. Also, on the same day, the Red Lake Treaty Camp was informed that the camp would be evicted by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and people would be arrested for trespassing on land Enbridge claims is theirs.
Supreme Court Sides With Alaska Natives In COVID-19 Aid Case
AP News, Jessica Gresko, June 25
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that hundreds of millions of dollars in coronavirus relief money tied up in court should benefit Alaska Natives rather than be spread more broadly among Native American tribes around the U.S. The justices ruled 6-3 in the case, which involved the massive pandemic relief package passed last year and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump. The $2.2 trillion legislation earmarked $8 billion for “Tribal governments” to cover expenses related to the pandemic. The question for the court was whether Alaska Native corporations, which are for-profit companies that provide benefits and social services to more than 100,000 Alaska Natives, count as “Indian tribes.” The high court answered yes.
Alaska Native Corporations Win COVID-19 Aid Case
Indian Country Today, June 25
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Alaska Native corporations are eligible for a portion of the coronavirus relief money. The justices ruled 6-3 in the case, Yellen v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation et al., which involved the massive pandemic relief package passed last year and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump. The $2.2 trillion legislation earmarked $8 billion for “Tribal governments” to cover expenses related to the pandemic. The question for the court was whether Alaska Native corporations, which are for-profit companies that provide benefits and social services to more than 100,000 Alaska Natives, count as “Indian tribes” as defined by the Indian Self-Determination Act and Education Assistance Act and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The high court answered yes.
U.S. Supreme Court Decides Alaska Native Corporations Can Receive CARES Act Funds
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, June 25
The U.S. Supreme Court today issued a 6-3 decision in Yellen v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, et al., holding that Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) are included in the definition of “Indian tribes” under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA) and thus eligible for funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act allocated $8 billion for tribal governments to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. The language used in the CARES Act defined “Tribal governments” as the recognized governing body an Indian Tribe. To the dismay of several federally recognized tribes, recommendations by the U.S. Departments of Treasury and the Interior provided funds to Alaska Native Corporations. As the result over 20 tribes filed lawsuits to disallow the funds being distributed to Alaska Native Corporations that are not federally recognized tribes.
Minnesota Native Community Responds To Sentencing Of Derek Chauvin
Native News Online, Darren Thompson, June 25
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday afternoon by Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill to 22 years and 6 months for his role in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was convicted for second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the death of Floyd on April 20, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minn. The American Indian Movement (AIM) applauded the sentencing of Derek Chauvin and stressed the importance of continuing to monitor police in Native communities.
Other:
2,000-Year-Old Bones Found At Indiana Construction Site
AP News, June 27
Unearthed bones recently discovered at a construction site in south central Indiana are believed to be thousands of years old, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Construction workers found the human remains in May while digging at the site of a new Bartholomew County judicial building in Columbus, The Republic reported. Archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis analyzed the bones, determining them to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old. The bones belong to an adult male, a preteen and an infant, according to the DNR. The bones are thought to be the bones of Native American people of the Adena culture, which existed in the Ohio River Valley as far back as 1000 B.C.
Dispossessed, Again: Climate Change Hits Native Americans Especially Hard
The New York Times, Christopher Flavelle, June 27
From Alaska to Florida, Native Americans are facing severe climate challenges, the newest threat in a history marked by centuries of distress and dislocation. While other communities struggle on a warming planet, Native tribes are experiencing an environmental peril exacerbated by policies — first imposed by white settlers and later the United States government — that forced them onto the country’s least desirable lands. And now, climate change is quickly making that marginal land uninhabitable. The first Americans face the loss of home once again.
A First For First Nations Hockey Star
Indian Country Today, Dalton Walker, June 27
Veteran NHL goalie Carey Price is four wins away from hoisting hockey’s ultimate prize. The Ulkatcho First Nations star from Anahim Lake, British Columbia, has led the Montréal Canadiens to its first Stanley Cup Final in nearly 30 years. The Cup final is the first for Price, who was drafted by the team with the No. 5 pick in 2005, after reaching the semifinals twice in 2010 and 2014. Price, 33, has 360 career NHL wins and is the winningest goalie in team history, multiple league goaltender awards, even an Olympic gold medal representing team Canada. Sports Illustrated described Price’s playoff run as “near-perfect,” and “nobody” expected Montreal to reach the finals.
Biden Administration Passes Up Chance To Block Oil Pipeline
AP News, June 25
The Biden administration signaled in a court filing this week that it does not plan to cancel federal permits for Enbridge’s Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline project, despite pleas by Native Americans and environmental groups for the president to intervene. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used the filing to defend its decision in November to grant Enbridge a water permit for the project, the last major approval the Calgary, Alberta-based company needed. Wednesday’s filing by the Corps and its attorneys at the Department of Justice marks the first time President Joe Biden’s administration has taken a public position on Enbridge’s plan to replace its aging Line 3, which carries oil from western Canada to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported. Environmental organizations expressed displeasure Thursday.
Red Lake Treaty Camp’s Future Uncertain
Indian Country Today, Mary Annette Pember, June 25
The state of Minnesota has backed down from efforts to evict water protectors from the Red Lake Treaty Camp near an Enbridge Line 3 construction site, but tensions remain high over concerns about the work’s impact on sensitive water levels. The Minnesota Department of Transportation issued an eviction notice on Tuesday, June 22, demanding that water protectors vacate the camp by 5 p.m. on June 23. The notice was delivered to the camp the same day by Pennington County sheriff’s deputies with police dogs. The Department of Transportation abruptly rescinded the eviction notice the next day as the deadline approached, however — the same day Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz received a letter from the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe challenging Enbridge’s plan to increase its water usage from 500 million to nearly 5 billion gallons of water.