Good morning, NUNAverse:
The New York Times reports on the conflict between current students at Radnor High School in Pennsylvania and the school’s alumni over their mascot – a Native warrior known as the Radnor Red Raider. While some alumni argued there is nothing offensive about the name or imagery (adopted in the mid-1960s in honor of a beloved coach, Emerson Metoxen, a Chief of the Oneida Tribe), many students, with the backing of the majority of the school board, believed the moniker and the mascot was non-inclusive at best, and racist at worst. After a year of debate, committees, and voting, students chose a new mascot, the Raptors, last week.
The Catawba Indian Nation will open its 500-slot North Carolina gaming facility this week, tribal leaders said Tuesday. Players can begin gambling at noon Thursday at the Catawbas’ Two Kings Casino Resort pre-launch facility off Interstate 85 exit 5 in Kings Mountain, about 35 miles west of Charlotte. Work on a larger casino building is scheduled to begin by year’s end and take about a year to finish on already cleared land near the current facility
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe will open a medical cannabis retail location this week in Flandreau, South Dakota, 45 miles north of Sioux Falls. Tribal officials and their top cannabis operators say they hope the medical marijuana system they’re standing up will undercut illegal marijuana trade in the state and improve conditions on the Moody County Indian reservation. The tribe anticipates millions worth of marijuana sales in the coming months.
Indigenous groups have called for Canada’s national celebration to be cancelled this week following the discovery of nearly 1,000 unmarked graves, most of which are believed to belong to Indigenous children. July 1 marks 154 years since Canada became a country – and until recently, festivities in cities across the country were expected, but the hashtag #CancelCanadaDay has taken off on social media, with many suggesting that celebrations and fireworks displays are out of touch with the dawning reality that more unmarked graves still await discovery. Victoria, British Columbia was the first city to cancel its Canada Day programming, announcing it would consult with the Lekwungen community and broadcast celebrations with local artists later in the summer.
Keep reading for a full news update.
MMIW:
Native American Women Face An Epidemic Of Violence. A Legal Loophole Prevents Prosecutions.
NBC News, Graham Lee Brewer, June 30
When Officer James Saylor of the Crow Tribe Police Department came across Joshua Cooley parked along a rural stretch of highway on the tribe’s reservation in Montana in 2016, he first noticed the man appeared not to be a Native American, according to court records. Then he spotted two semi-automatic rifles in Cooley’s front seat, alongside a glass pipe and a bag of methamphetamine.
Boarding Schools:
Calls To Cancel Canada Day After Graves Found: ‘Indigenous People Paid With Their Lives’
The Guardian, Leyland Cecco, June 30
Indigenous groups have called for Canada’s national celebration to be cancelled over the discovery of nearly 1,000 unmarked graves, most of which are believed to belong to Indigenous children.
Uncovering The ‘Unspoken Traumas’ Of Native American Boarding Schools
NPR, June 29
For generations, indigenous children in the United States and Canada were forcibly sent to boarding schools to assimilate. Exactly what happened at those schools is still being uncovered.
Gaming:
Gambling Starts This Week At New Casino 35 Miles From Charlotte
The News & Observer, Joe Marusak, June 29
The Catawba Indian Nation will open its 500-slot North Carolina gaming facility this week, tribal leaders said Tuesday. Players can begin gambling at noon Thursday at the Catawbas’ Two Kings Casino Resort pre-launch facility off Interstate 85 exit 5 in Kings Mountain, about 35 miles west of Charlotte.
Native Mascots:
Anatomy Of A Mascot
New York Times, Dana Thomas, June 30
This affluent 340-year-old township of 31,000 residents on the Main Line has long been a bastion of gentility and geniality. “The Philadelphia Story,” that arch drawing-room comedy starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, was set in Radnor, and its public high school served as the inspiration for Rydell High in the film version of “Grease,” directed by a 1964 graduate, Randal Kleiser.
Gov. Polis Notes Funding Concerns With bill Banning American Indian Mascots
Colorado Newsline, Faith Miller, June 29
Starting June 1, 2022, Colorado public schools must stop using American Indian mascots or face steep fines, under a bill Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Monday. But Polis, a Democrat, wrote an accompanying letter to state lawmakers that cited concerns about the bill.
Other:
Man Sentenced To 30 Years For Killing Navajo Police Officer
AP News, Susan Montoya Bryan, June 29
A man who shot and killed a tribal police officer in a remote corner of the nation’s largest American Indian reservation has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
Ariana Grande And Husband Dalton Gomez Accused Of ‘Mocking’ Native American Culture In Deleted Instagram Video
The U.S. Sun, Jorge Solis, June 29
Ariana Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez have been accused of “mocking” Native American culture in a now-deleted Instagram video. The clip from Ariana, 28, has since resurfaced online and has been shared by various Twitter accounts.
Flandreau Tribe’s Cannabis Outfit Has 10,000 Plants, Expected To Generate $1M A Month
Argus Leader, Joe Sneve, June 29
An eastern South Dakota tribe that’s aggressively entering the legal cannabis industry anticipates millions worth of marijuana sales in the coming months.