Good Morning, NUNAverse,

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding state authority to prosecute some crimes on Native land is fracturing decades of law built around the hard-fought principle that tribes have the right to govern themselves on their own territory, legal experts say. The recent ruling is a marked departure from federal Indian law and veers from the push to increase tribes’ ability to prosecute all crimes on reservations — regardless of who is involved. It also cast tribes as part of states, rather than the sovereign nations they are, infuriating many across Indian Country. The 5-4 decision from the high court in a case out of Oklahoma means states will share in that authority when the suspect is not Native and the victim is. Criminal justice on tribal lands already is a tangled web, and the ruling likely will present new thorny questions about jurisdiction, possible triple jeopardy, and how to tackle complicated crimes in remote areas where resources are stretched thin. States had power to prosecute crimes involving only non-Natives on reservations before this week’s ruling.

Michigan schools are getting tens of thousands of dollars to pay for everything from school uniforms to new logos painted on gymnasium floors, in an effort to eliminate imagery that depicts racist stereotypes of Indigenous people. The Native American Heritage Fund announced in June that it would grant a portion of $480,000 to four school districts in the state: Chippewa Hills School District, Hartford Public Schools, Lansing School District, and Saranac Community Schools. Chippewa Hills will receive $52,371, Hartford will get $134,249, Lansing will receive $87,500 and Saranac will get $139,319. The rest of the $480,000 went to organizations for other Indigenous-related education projects. The fund’s board decided the grants, and priority was given to the mascot projects, according to a news release. The districts selected for funding are not the only districts rebranding: Districts across the state over the past two years have contemplated changing mascots, logos, and chants that perpetuate harmful stereotypes, some with the help from previous years’ NAHF grants. 

The University of Arizona has announced that starting this fall it will be offering free tuition for Native undergraduates. This announcement comes on the heels of the “Arizona Native Scholars Grant,” which applies to all current students who are part of Arizona’s 22 federally-recognized tribes. “This is something we’ve been working on for quite some time,” said Art Young, executive director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at UA. “The first step is to go to our website, the information is there. It’s all current and basically, applicants need to make sure they have completed an application for admission and an application for FAFSA no later than August 15.”

Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby is the Most Powerful Oklahoman, according to OKC FRIDAY’s poll of state leaders. Bill Lance, Jr., Secretary of Commerce of Chickasaw Nation, came in number 18. Anoatubby beat out several other powerful Oklahomans for the top spot, including Governor Kevin Stitt, Senator James Lankford, and several bankers, investors, mayors, members of Congress, a former Miss America, the CEO of Hobby Lobby, as well as CEOs of energy companies. 

Keep reading for a full news update.

Law:

Experts: US Court Fractures Decades Of Native American Law

AP News, Felicia Fonseca, July 1

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding state authority to prosecute some crimes on Native land is fracturing decades of law built around the hard-fought principle that tribes have the right to govern themselves on their own territory, legal experts say. The recent ruling is a marked departure from federal Indian law and veers from the push to increase tribes’ ability to prosecute all crimes on reservations — regardless of who is involved. It also cast tribes as part of states, rather than the sovereign nations they are, infuriating many across Indian Country. The 5-4 decision from the high court in a case out of Oklahoma means states will share in that authority when the suspect is not Native and the victim is. Criminal justice on tribal lands already is a tangled web, and the ruling likely will present new thorny questions about jurisdiction, possible triple jeopardy, and how to tackle complicated crimes in remote areas where resources are stretched thin. States had power to prosecute crimes involving only non-Natives on reservations before this week’s ruling.

U.S. Supreme Court Breaks Sacred Vow To Oklahoma Tribal Nation

Native News Online, Chuck Hoskin Jr., July 3

The United States Supreme Court’s disconcerting decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta will go down in history as a ruling against legal precedent and the basic principles of federal Indian law. Tragically, it is another broken promise from the federal government to tribes. A narrow 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court has ignored its sacred responsibility to uphold the law when it comes to federal treaties with Native sovereign nations. In Castro-Huerta, the court sided with Oklahoma’s claim that it can prosecute certain crimes committed against Indian citizens on Indian reservations. That claim goes against decades of precedents and laws, not just in Oklahoma but across the United States. We know this decision is a betrayal to our sovereign nations in Oklahoma, and it will have far reaching impacts on all federally-recognized tribes. Justice Neil Gorsuch said it best in his dissenting opinion, “this Court once stood firm, today it wilts.”

Supreme Court Decision Creates Uncertainty For Businesses Operating In Indian Country 

Marketplace, Savannah Maher, July 4 

American courts have long recognized tribes as sovereign nations that are entirely separate from the states they share borders with — until last week, when the Supreme Court upended that precedent. In a major blow to tribal sovereignty, the court’s 5-4 decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta gives states authority to prosecute some crimes allegedly committed by non-Native people on tribal land. It also constitutes a major shift for non-Natives operating businesses on reservations, who in the past have been subject to federal and tribal law, cops and courts. 

Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby Named Most Powerful Person In Oklahoma

Native News Online, July 2

Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby is the Most Powerful Oklahoman, according to OKC FRIDAY’s poll of state leaders. Bill Lance, Jr., Secretary of Commerce of Chickasaw Nation, came in number 18. Anoatubby beat out several other powerful Oklahomans for the top spot, including Governor Kevin Stitt, Senator James Lankford, and several bankers, investors, mayors, congressmen, a former Miss America, the CEO of Hobby Lobby, as well as CEOs of energy companies. 

Native Mascots:

Michigan Schools Get Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars To Change Racist Mascots

Detroit Free Press, Lily Altavena, July 4

Michigan schools are getting tens of thousands of dollars to pay for everything from school uniforms to new logos painted on gymnasium floors, in an effort to eliminate imagery that depicts racist stereotypes of indigenous people. The Native American Heritage Fund announced in June that it would grant a portion of $480,000 to four school districts in the state: Chippewa Hills School District, Hartford Public Schools, Lansing School District and Saranac Community Schools. Chippewa Hills will receive $52,371, Hartford will get $134,249, Lansing will receive $87,500 and Saranac will get $139,319. The rest of the $480,000 went to organizations for other indigenous-related education projects. The fund’s board decided the grants, and priority was given to the mascot projects, according to a news release. The districts selected for funding are not the only districts rebranding: Districts across the state over the past two years have contemplated changing mascots, logos and chants that perpetuate harmful stereotypes about indigenous people, some with the help from previous years’ NAHF grants. The money will be distributed in August. It will go directly to mascot and logo rebranding efforts. 

Other:

University OF Arizona To Offer Free Tuition For Native American Undergraduates 

Arizona’s Family, Dani Birzer, July 1

The University of Arizona has announced that starting this fall it will be offering free tuition for Native American undergraduates. This announcement comes on the heels of the “Arizona Native Scholars Grant,” which applies to all current students who are part of Arizona’s 22 federally-recognized tribes. “This is something we’ve been working on for quite some time,” said Art Young, executive director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at UA. “The first step is to go to our website, the information is there. It’s all current and basically, applicants need to make sure they have completed an application for admission and an application for FAFSA no later than August 15.”

The First Of Many Milestones For Haudenosaunee Nationals

Indian Country Today, Pauly Denetclaw, July 2

In comparison to other nations like the United States and Canada, the Haudenosaunee Nationals are in the process of building up their program, especially the women’s team that was restructured last year. Previously, the women’s and men’s teams for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy were managed under separate organizations. Through a contentious decision last year, the women’s team came under the same organization as the Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s team. The men’s team changed their name, following in the steps of the women’s team, becoming the Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s lacrosse team. It’s currently being decided by the International Olympic Committee whether or not the fastest-growing sport in the world, lacrosse, will be an event at the 2028 summer games. World Lacrosse created the sixes game format in an attempt to fit into the Olympic committee’s goal to make the games smaller with less production. The game is typically with 10 players per team on the field. The Women’s World Championship invites 30 teams that play at the highest level of lacrosse from all across the world to compete. 

Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby Named Most Powerful Person In Oklahoma

Native News Online, July 2

Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby is the Most Powerful Oklahoman, according to OKC FRIDAY’s poll of state leaders. Bill Lance, Jr., Secretary of Commerce of Chickasaw Nation, came in number 18. Anoatubby beat out several other powerful Oklahomans for the top spot, including Governor Kevin Stitt, Senator James Lankford, and several bankers, investors, mayors, congressmen, a former Miss America, the CEO of Hobby Lobby, as well as CEOs of energy companies. 

South Dakota’s Noem Applies For 2023 Rushmore Fireworks

AP News, Stephen Groves, July 1

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Friday said she has applied for permission to hold a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore to celebrate Independence Day 2023, persisting even though the National Park Service has denied her requests for the past two years. In 2020, a fireworks display, featuring a fiery speech from former President Donald Trump, was held at the monument after a decade long hiatus. The Park Service has cited environmental concerns and objections from Native American tribes in denying subsequent permit applications. A federal judge last year rebuffed the Republican governor’s lawsuit that sought to force the Park Service to allow her to shoot fireworks over the granite monument. Noem has appealed that decision. The Department of Interior declined to comment on Noem’s application. Noem is running for reelection and is widely considered to be a potential Republican contender for the 2024 White House ticket. She often cites 2020′s fireworks celebration, when she shared the stage with Trump, as a highlight of her first term in office. 

‘Dark Winds’ Hears Critics: Director Says Tv Series Will ‘course-Correct’ For Accuracy

Navajo Times, Rima Krisst, July 1

As learned from the response to Part 1 of this series, some Diné viewers enjoy the sheer entertainment value of “Dark Winds,” setting aside concerns over language and cultural accuracy by saying it’s “just a TV show” or “fiction.” Others believe any cultural “fetishism” or misrepresentation of the Navajo people in the mystery series is unacceptable. Nonetheless, even if fine-tuning is needed to achieve authentic representation, most would like to see a show with a majority of Native American cast and crew, popular appeal, and a worldwide platform, succeed. Diné traditional weaver and silversmith Zefren Anderson said his first impression of “Dark Winds” was that the culture portrayed is a “Tony Hillerman fantasy.” Anderson said he doesn’t understand why people are so upset about authenticity with a story and a culture that existed in the “creative mind of a white man.”

Emergency Broadband Service Expands To New Mexico’s Native American Tribes 

Carlsbad Current Argus, Mike Smith, July 1 

Ten years ago Congress enacted a law creating the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), an independent agency in the federal government that revealed problems with communications systems used by America’s first responders, said Jacque Waring, national tribal government liaison for FirstNet. “There were advocates from across the federal, state, local and tribal level that petitioned Congress to establish a single nationwide broadband network. That agency was created in 2012 and we began our efforts to establish a public-private partnership to deliver this nationwide network across the country,” she said.